A Cullman County jury found a local man guilty of intentional murder this week in connection with the 2023 death of a Bremen-area woman, returning a verdict Wednesday against Jeremy Wayne Higgins.
Higgins, 38, was convicted at the conclusion of a three-day trial prosecuted by District Attorney Champ Crocker and assistant DA Nathan Brock. Following prosecution witness testimony Wednesday afternoon, the jury returned its verdict after a brief deliberation.
A local Grand Jury indicted Higgins last August on the single charge of intentional murder, a Class A felony. Higgins was arrested last year in connection with the May 2023 death of Cynthia Spinks, 64, who was found by local sheriff’s deputies responding to a welfare check request at her County Road 18 residence. Spinks died from head wounds inflicted by a small-caliber firearm, a weapon the jury determined that Higgins had fired.
In a statement shared on social media, Crocker thanked both the jury and the victim’s family, while noting that the concluded trial reflects his office’s effort to effect more speedy justice for criminal cases that have crowded the docket of the Cullman County Circuit Court.
“I would first like to thank the jury for their service and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office who did a great job on this case from the first deputy on scene until the investigation was concluded,” Crocker wrote.
“I also want to thank our victim’s family who we worked with to bring this case to trial.
“We will continue working to clear the case backlog by trying these cases. This will be the fourth murder conviction we have obtained since I took office in January 2023. We are doing what we promised to do, and it’s an honor seek justice for the people of Cullman County.”
Higgins, who appeared in court this week in a wheelchair, had remained in the Cullman County Detention Center without bond while awaiting trial. He had pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in October of last year.
Higgins previously had pleaded guilty in 2007 to a single count of 3rd degree burglary in Cullman County Circuit Court. His earlier court records show prior alleged offenses — mostly related to vehicle use — that date to the mid-2000s, as well as a number of domestic violence charges resolved through the Cullman County District Court.
Circuit Judge Martha Williams remanded Higgins into custody following the jury’s guilty verdict. He will be sentenced at a later date.