(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/7/2023) One convicted conspirator in the failed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot was sentenced to prison Thursday and a second was given probation as the last two of the eight accused conspirators were adjudicated.
Shawn Fix was sentenced to three to 20 years in state prison for providing material support for an act of terrorism and Brian Higgins to three years’ probation for attempting that crime, and he ordered the probation officer to focus on the defendant’s mental health.
Higgins was also given 217 days in the county jail, which he has already served, and Fix was given credit for the 34 days he spent in jail.
Hamlyn told both defendants that their sentences weren’t because the victim is the Governor, but because of “your involvement in the case,” and he noted that Fix’s “involvement was more.”
“People go down rabbit holes from which some don’t emerge,” he said. “And that’s why the polarization is so scary.”
Fix, of Belleville, who admitted earlier that he helped the ringleader Adam Fox locate Whitmer’s vacation home, apologized to the court and to the Governor.
“I don’t think anybody should go through anything like that,” Fix told the judge, noting that he wants to “take care of my family.”
Assistant Prosecutor William Rollstin wasn’t sympathetic, saying Fix is a grown man who didn’t consider his family while he was training with the Wolverine Watchmen to carry out the plot. However, Rollstin did acknowledge that Fix accepted responsibility, which he said should weigh in his favor.
Defense attorney Nichole Dougherty said her client made mistakes like so many, but “they don’t get a jury box of reporters” or people “screaming for blood” as Fix did. She said Fix’s sentencing guidelines – 24-40 months – are high because the prosecution “absolutely” would not give him a plea deal of attempting to do the crime, as they did Higgins.
“He helps get products all over our country, one of the most important people that has come into play when the country shut down,” she said, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was a mistake. He was not, and I repeat, he was not Adam Fox’s second in command,” Dougherty added. “… He didn’t take … that title. It just happened. It was not something that he had aspired to.”
Higgins, of Wisconsin, told the court that he would be “more selective” in picking friends and “this is not something that I ever intend to repeat.” He said he's read the victim's impact statement repeatedly, and he apologized to the Governor, her family and her security detail as well as Michigan citizens.
“I do believe I’ve changed as a person,” added Higgins, whose attorney asked for a probation-only sentence as he noted that the defendant has a mental health issue.
Rollstin also acknowledged Higgins’ challenges and suggested he be supervised.
Fix and Higgins’ co-defendants – twins William Null and Michael Null, and Eric Molitor – were acquitted after a jury trial.
The Attorney General’s office levied 20 felony charges against eight individuals who allegedly engaged in the planning and training for either an attack on the state Capitol or to kidnap government officials, including Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, according to testimony.
Three of the state defendants were convicted in Jackson County and were subsequently sentenced to prison.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said in an afternoon statement that the sentencing “ensures that these men will be held accountable for their attempts to harm the general public, members of law enforcement and the Governor.”
Two men were acquitted in federal court while two others were convicted after a second jury trial, and two pleaded guilty.
