The state of Maryland also abolished the death penalty in 2013, with all remaining death row inmates resentenced to life without parole. If he had been tried by the state of Maryland, based on state law, he would not have been eligible for the death penalty. Had the murders occurred further down the road, the women would not have been killed on the Patuxent Research Refuge, and Higgs would have been tried by the state of Maryland instead of by the federal government. Higgs, who was pronounced dead at 1:23 a.m., was the thirteenth federal convict. Dustin John Higgs was executed in the early hours of Saturday morning becoming the 13th and last federal death row inmate to be executed since the Justice Department restarted federal executions. Higgs was tried by the federal government rather than by the state of Maryland. Dustin Higgs, 48, was convicted in the 1996 kidnapping and killings of three women in a Maryland wildlife refuge. The fact the murders were committed on federal land further complicated things. The case against him was mainly built on the testimonies of Gloria and Haynes, who had both cut deals and reportedly changed their stories multiple times. The first being that he was sentenced to death despite not personally shooting or killing any of the three women himself. Multiple controversies surround Higgs's case. Gloria was later dropped off at a fast-food restaurant, where he was told to keep his mouth shut. He added that the federal execution of Dustin John Higgs needs reviewing because of the circumstances. He added that his client is sick with the COVID-19, with pre-existing health issues. After the women were killed and the gun was disposed of, Higgs drove back to his apartment with Haynes and Gloria. Shawn Nolan said that his client 'Higgs' got the coronavirus because of the 'super-spreader executions' Terre Haute Penitentiary, Indiana. Johnson’s execution and Friday’s scheduled execution of Dustin Higgs are the last before next week’s inauguration of Joe Biden.

He witnessed Haynes shoot one of the women in the chest.

Haynes then exited the van and Gloria heard gunshots. According to Haynes's testimony, Higgs then said to him 'better make sure they're dead'. The women then asked if they were being forced to walk home to which Higgs responded 'something like that.' As the women got out of the van, Higgs took out a handgun and handed it to Haynes. Higgs pulled over at a secluded location and ordered the women out of the van. Higgs did not drive the correct way back to Washington, D.C., and instead drove to the Patuxent Research Refuge. The prosecution accepts that they were not forced into the vehicle or taken against their will. They pulled over and offered the women a ride home, which they accepted. The men then left the apartment and headed after them in Higgs's van.

Dustin higgs case