A 34-year-old man has been accused of allegedly shooting another man in the head at a home in the 5000 block of Deana Drive in House Springs, according to court records.
Matthew Ryan Higgins, who has listed addresses in House Springs and Fenton in court documents, has been charged with felony first-degree domestic assault and felony armed criminal action. He was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and as of today, Oct. 16, he was being held without bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to court and jail records.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called at about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday to the House Springs home. A man suffering from an apparent gun shot wound to his head told the deputies he was shot by Higgins, the case’s probable-cause statement said.
The man who had been shot also told the deputies that Higgins ran into a nearby wooded area. Higgins emerged from the wooded area near the home and surrendered to deputies, the report said.
He allegedly told the deputies that he shot the other man in the head. Deputies also allegedly found evidence that corroborated the report of the shooting, according to the report.
The Sheriff’s Office reported the victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The department said the man was in stable condition.
The probable-cause statement said Higgins and the other man were in a relationship, and the two have lived together at times for an unknown period of time.
The Sheriff’s Office also reported that Higgins was recently released from prison and had been convicted for a prior armed criminal action charge.
Court documents show that in March 2023, Higgins pleaded guilty to first-degree assault, armed criminal action and resisting arrest following an arrest in September 2019 in St. Louis County. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for assault and three years each for the armed criminal action and resisting arrest charges.
The sentences were to run concurrently, or at the same time, for a total of seven years. Court records do not say why or when Higgins was released from prison.
Court records also show Higgins has pleaded guilty to at least eight other felony charges since 2013.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one count of resisting arrest in 2013 after being arrested in Jefferson County in 2012. He was sentenced to a total of four years for each charge, but the judge suspended execution of the sentence at that time and placed him on five years’ probation, court records said.
In 2017, Higgins pleaded guilty to felony charges in Jefferson and St. Louis counties.
Court records show he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of controlled substance following a 2016 arrest in Byrnes Mill and was sentenced to two years in prison.
In St. Louis County, Higgins pleaded guilty to first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest following a 2017 arrest in Maplewood, and he pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of controlled substance following a 2016 arrest. He was sentenced to four years in prison for each felony charge following the guilty pleas, court records said.