Heidi Warner was sentenced Wednesday to three to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Seneca Higley, who was found in his Caesars Palace hotel room in February 2024, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The case began when Higley’s former mother-in-law contacted police after losing contact with him.
Plea Resolves Murder Case
Warner, 25, pleaded guilty in June to voluntary manslaughter in Higley’s death, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. She had previously faced second-degree murder and controlled-substance-sale charges, according to the outlet’s earlier coverage of her arrest. Prosecutors agreed not to recommend a sentence as part of the plea deal.
Police said Warner sold Higley counterfeit pills that were later found to contain fentanyl, according to the Review-Journal. Warner accepted responsibility for Higley’s death when she entered her plea. Judge Michelle Leavitt imposed the three-to-eight-year sentence.
Higley’s Death at Caesars Palace
Higley was found dead in his Caesars Palace room on Feb. 26, 2024, after his former mother-in-law called police because she could not reach him, the Review-Journal reported. Investigators found five blue “M 30” pills in the room; they tested positive for fentanyl and acetaminophen, according to the outlet’s original coverage. The coroner ruled the death accidental, attributing it to the combined effects of alcohol, fentanyl, amphetamine and other drugs or medications.
As reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal, police said Higley had struggled with substance abuse in the past but was sober before his death, and that he had been widowed just months before he died.
Fentanyl Deaths in Clark County
The Southern Nevada Health District reported that fentanyl-related deaths in Clark County increased 92.7% from 2020 to 2023, showing a sharp rise over that period, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.
Defense Describes Warner’s Role
Warner told the court she had known Higley for about a year. Her attorney, Charles Goodwin, said she acted as an intermediary after Higley asked her to obtain drugs; Warner could not get what he wanted but had Percocet, the Review-Journal reported. Warner expressed regret and described efforts to move forward, including attending therapy, enrolling at the College of Southern Nevada to study business, and working at Chick-fil-A while doing makeup work on the side.
Her defense attorney, Charles Goodwin, argued for probation, telling the court that Warner fell into sex work after her father died and was not a drug dealer, with no evidence of large-scale distribution. Goodwin also argued that the fentanyl content of the pills was not clear and said Warner would be a productive member of society if released. As noted by Las Vegas Review-Journal, Judge Leavitt ultimately rejected the request for probation and imposed the prison term instead.
A Separate Case for Comparison
Another Las Vegas-area fentanyl case involved a different charge and sentence. Izaiah Flood, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after selling pills represented as ecstasy on the Strip in September 2023, was sentenced to 156 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, according to Fox5 Las Vegas.
