Former biker gang ‘second in command’ testifies in murder trial for national club president
By Lauren Tear KLTV Published: Dec. 12, 2024 at 12:49 PM EST|
https://www.kltv.com/2024/12/12/biker-gang-former-second-command-t
estifies-murder-trial-national-club-president/
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – The trial for a biker club president accused of ordering the murder of an East Texas motorcyclist continued Thursday with testimony from the group’s second in command.
Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, is reported to be the national president of the Ugly Man Cossacks motorcycle club. He was arrested in April in connection with the murder of rival club member Brandon Edwards, of Ben Wheeler, who was shot to death in Arp on May 2, 2020.
Previous court hearings have established that Edwards was a member of the 1%er Cossacks, a rival club that split from the original Ugly Man Cossacks after a 2015 shooting in Waco. Three men have been convicted in Edwards’ shooting death, and Higgins now faces up to life in prison if convicted of giving the “smash on site” order to his members. The defense has been alluding towards shifting the blame from Higgins, the national president of the club, to his second in command, national sergeant-at-arms Chad Michael Crowell, of Eustace. Crowell has also been charged with directing street gang activities.
The state began day three of the trial by calling Crowell to the stand. He confirmed that he was close friends with Higgins during his involvement in the biker organizations and circles.
He said Edwards and a group of his friends didn’t think there was enough violence after the Waco shooting, leading to their split off into the 1%ers.
Crowell said Joshua Tibbets, of Waco, would have been the one most likely to have shot Edwards.
Tibbets has been convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity in Edwards’ murder and is serving a sentence of 22 years. He testified in Higgins trial Wednesday, confirming the groups chain of command but making it clear he would not be a compliant witness.
Crowell said if he or Higgins found out a “smash on site” command was not done on a 1%er, it was “not good at all.”
He also said he leads a different lifestyle now after claiming he left the group five years before his arrest. He said he has since committed himself to Christ and wants to tell the truth.
Crowell said he had been considering leaving the club before Edwards’ murder, but that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Previous testimony from the other former club members claimed that Crowell used his repo business to track license plate numbers of suspected 1%ers. Crowell denied this.
The defense said that all Crowell has as proof of his innocence is his word.
The next witness for the state was Texas DPS Special Agent Clay Stillman, who is based in Longview. Stillman specialized in organized crime, gangs and large-scale conspiracy. Stillman said he is very familiar with organized crime conspirators. He testified on his work with the Edwards investigation, recalling a string of violent surveillance operations prior to the murder.
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