The man accused of killing Jefferson Parish tow-truck driver “Big Lee” has bonded out of jail.
Last month, 78-year-old Wayne Higgins pleaded not guilty in the shooting death of Lee Martin on May 5. The men lived next to each other on Bonnabel Boulevard in Metairie and had been involved in a years long spat, police have said.
A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office detective testified in July that Higgins was recorded on home surveillance cameras as he stepped out of his truck May 5, The Advocate reported. He then pulled out a .380-caliber handgun and fired a single shot into Martin's chest, police have said.
Martin had just squirted Higgins with a hose while he was pulling out of his driveway on Bonnabel Boulevard, allegedly prompting the deadly encounter, Sheriff Joe Lopinto said after the shooting.
Higgins posted $500,000 bond Tuesday. He is expected to be back in court on August 13. He faces an automatic life sentence if convicted of the murder charge.
WWL-TV reporter Danny Monteverde contributed to this report.