A 37-year-old Franklin County man is facing a first-degree murder charge after court documents say he struck 79-year-old Terrance Kiggins in the head with a sledgehammer while the older man slept, then tried to pin the killing on his girlfriend. J.M. Kiggins was arrested Aug. 26, the same day deputies found Terrance Kiggins dead inside a home on Lower Jethro Road north of Ozark.
According to court documents obtained by nwahomepage.com, Franklin County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of a death inside the home and found Terrance Kiggins's body. A probable-cause affidavit states that J.M. Kiggins told investigators he struck Terrance in the head with a sledgehammer while Terrance was asleep in the living room, and the blow caused a major head injury that led to his death, as reported by 5NEWS.
A Cover Story That Fell Apart
The affidavit says J.M. Kiggins initially claimed he called 911 after his girlfriend left the home, and he went on to tell investigators his girlfriend had committed the crime, providing her information to authorities in what the document describes as an attempt to cover his tracks. The account did not hold up, and Arkansas State Police troopers took J.M. Kiggins into custody. He was booked into the Franklin County jail on one count of first-degree murder.
The investigation shifted hands shortly after deputies arrived. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office asked Arkansas State Police to take over, and the station's report notes that special agents with the agency's Criminal Investigation Division were requested to lead the case. Terrance Kiggins's body was taken to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory to determine the cause and manner of death.
Conflicting Accounts of the Family Relationship
Reports on the case have diverged over exactly how the two men were related. 5NEWS reported that Arkansas State Police confirmed Terrance Kiggins was J.M. Kiggins's grandfather, while an earlier Franklin County Sheriff's Office report, cited by nwahomepage.com, had suggested Terrance was J.M.'s father. The discrepancy remains unresolved in the public record.
Terrance Kiggins's obituary, posted by Shinn Funeral Home, says he died at his home in Ozark on Aug. 26 at age 79. He worked for Tyson for 29 years and attended Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, according to the obituary. A separate listing on Legacy.com confirms the date and location of his death.
Where the Case Stands Now
Court records did not list a plea for J.M. Kiggins as of Oct. 23, and a public defender was appointed to represent him two days earlier, on Oct. 21. Jail records show he remained held in the Franklin County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond as of that date, per the same nwahomepage.com account. No further developments beyond those court filings have been reported.
