State rests in trial of biker gang leader accused of giving orders that killed East Texas motorcyclist
Kevin Dale Higgins is accused of giving orders that would lead to Brandon Edwards, a rival motorcycle gang member, getting chased down and shot to death in 2020.
Author: Zak Wellerman January 16, 2025
TYLER, Texas — The state rested its case Thursday afternoon in the trial of a former outlaw motorcycle gang national president accused of issuing orders that killed an East Texas motorcyclist.
Kevin Dale Higgins, national president of the Ugly Man Cossacks, is accused of giving orders that would lead to Brandon Edwards, a rival motorcycle gang member, getting chased down and shot to death in 2020 in Chapel Hill.
On Thursday, the state presented its last two witnesses, Chad Crowell, co-defendant of Higgins in this case and former national sergeant at arms of the Ugly Man Cossacks, and Texas Department of Public Safety Special Agent Clay Steelman, who investigated the case.
Crowell said violence was encouraged in the gang. Crowell is also accused of issuing orders that led to Edwards’ death.
Crowell said after Edwards’ death, he got out of the Ugly Man Cossacks gang. Crowell said he has not received a deal from the prosecution for testifying in Higgins’ trial.
Crowell recalled a time when he assaulted a gang member alongside other members, and he said Higgins directed them to make that attack. Crowell said he never gave an order that was different from Higgins’ orders.
Steelman found in his investigation that a “smash on sight” order against the 1%er Cossacks was issued by the national leadership of the Ugly Man Cossacks. The order was made because of the disrespect that the Ugly Man Cossacks felt when the 1%er Cossacks split off.
Steelman testified he has obtained evidence detailing that the order came from national leaders, which included Higgins, despite there being no emails, messages or other blatant form of communication. He said there’s no way a national leader of the gang wouldn’t know about such an order.
Steelman detailed various assaults in Hubbard and East Texas in early 2020 before Edwards’ death in May that he learned Crowell and the three convicted of killing Edwards, Joshua Ray Tibbits, Jose Antonio Valenzuela and Jeffery Ryan Griffin, were involved in.
Steelman noted Valenzuela received a promotion in February 2020 after he was involved in assaulting 1%er Cossacks in Gilmer. He testified that violence acts seemed to correlate with promotions.
The defense will begin presenting their witnesses Friday morning.
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Biker convicted in ETX murder testifies in new trial for club’s national president
By Lauren Tear KLTV Published: Jan. 15, 2025
https://www.kltv.com/2025/01/15/biker-convicted-etx-murder-testifies-new-trial-clubs-national-president
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – Day two of the new trial for a Kemp man accused of directing a biker club in a way that resulted in murder saw testimony from a former member.
Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, maintains his innocence and entered a plea of not guilty. The state argues his role as the national president links him to a string of criminal activities including aggravated assault and murder. His original trial ended in December with a hung jury, and his retrial began Tuesday
.
Very similarly to December’s trial, witnesses include the former members of the Ugly Man Cossacks motorcycle club who were convicted of murdering rival club “1%er Cossacks” member Brandon Edwards, of Ben Wheeler, in May of 2020.
The first former club member to take the stand delivered testimony Wednesday that very closely followed the same line of state questioning as seen in the previous trial.
Court broke for lunch before noon and are expected to continue with further witnesses when they return.
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