Daughter of murdered Odessa lawyer asks for public's help

TAMPA -- The daughter of the Odessa lawyer and horseman whose Oct. 8 murder remains unsolved asked today for the public's help in finding his killer.

Kimberly Higgins, the 35-year-old daughter of 61-year-old Lawrence Higgins, who was found dead at his home Oct. 10, said her father had attended her Washington, D.C., wedding just a week before.

"Nothing I can do will ever bring him back, but if the person who did this is caught, it might prevent someone else's family from going through this," Higgins said at a Friday morning news conference outside the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Maj. Harold Winsett would not answer any questions about the ongoing investigation, but he released the descriptions of two suspicious vehicles seen near Higgins' home before the murder. He asked that anyone with information call the Sheriff's Office.

One vehicle is described as a champagne-colored dual-wheel pickup truck with an extended motor cab. Witnesses said it was probably a 2000-05 model with four tires on the rear. The second is an older orange Nissan or Datsun sedan with a loud muffler, a model from the 1980s.

Winsett would still not specify the manner of Higgins' death or speculate on potential motives or suspects. The Medical Examiner's Office previously said Higgins died from trauma to his upper body, a homicide.

Higgins' body was found in his home, 11523 Trotting Down Drive, by an unidentified business associate on Oct. 10. Winsett said he died two days earlier. Higgins was heavily involved in local horse racing and raced several of his own.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer