By Seamus McGraw
October 23, 2006
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Crime Library) — It could take weeks, perhaps even months of rigorous testing at an FBI lab before authorities can determine precisely what killed Charles Augustine, and more importantly, whether his critical care nurse will be named a suspect in not one but two bizarre slayings.
The nurse, Chaz Higgs, 42, is already at the center of a bizarre murder case, accused of using a lethal and carefully regulated paralytic drug to kill his own wife, Kathy Augustine, a Nevada politician who, in an intriguing twist, was also Charles Augustine's widow.
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| Chaz Higgs |
Authorities first uncovered the case in July, when Higgs frantically telephoned authorities, claiming that he found his 50-year-old wife, collapsed and not breathing dead on the floor of their Reno home. At first, it was suspected that she died of a heart attack.
The death sparked intense interest from the press and public at least in part because of Kathy Augustine's prominence. A controversial figure, Augustine who served as state controller had been impeached over allegations that she had misused campaign funds in 2002. Despite that, Augustine was in the midst of heated reelection campaign when she collapsed.
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| Kathy Augustine |
Higgs told authorities at the time that Augustine had been under intense stress, and said he believed that was what killed her.
But authorities quickly became suspicious.
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