Elizabethtown man accused of deadly hatchet attack

ELIZABETHTOWN, KY (WAVE) - A Grayson County man was killed Saturday in Hardin County after he was hit in the head with a hatchet and chased down a street, according to Kentucky State Police.

Investigators said Jamie Wagers, 24, of Elizabethtown and Christian Higdon, 20, of Clarkson were at a home on Magers Drive in Elizabethtown when Higdon was hit in the head with the tool. KSP said Higdon ran from the house and up the hilly street while being chased by Wagers who was still carrying the hatchet in his hand.

Authorities said Higdon was conscious, alert and able to have someone dial 911 from his phone. But when police arrived, they found Higdon dead in the yard at 45 Magers Drive. The Hardin County Coroner pronounced Higdon dead at 2:51 p.m. According to KSP, Higdon died of a blunt force chopping injury to the head.

Neighbors grappled with understanding the graphic nature of what happened in the Plantation Park subdivision.

"That's just horrible. I can't imagine," said Rhonda Sams who lives Magers Drive near Elizabethtown, the street where the incident happened. "I cannot imagine that happening to anybody."

Wagers is lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center, charged with murder. KSP said Wagers also was charged with violating an Emergency Protective Order/Domestic Violence Order. KSP said Wagers had been ordered by a court to vacate the residence where the attack occurred.

"This boy, he has had problems before," Sams said. "He's beat his grandfather up. He got beat up a long time ago and left for dead. And after that, the kid went crazy. He's just a young man.

"I pray for the family of the lost boy. I mean I really do," Sams continued. "I couldn't imagine if something like that happened to my son."

The deadly violence took its toll on other neighbors like Carl DiPietro who also lives on Magers Drive.

"I'd like to move. When it comes down to something like this, I'd just rather move. And what if it's one of my kids or something?" DiPietro said. "I don't want to see that."

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