Leavenworth woman pleads no contest to the beating death of her mother with a mallet

A Leavenworth woman entered a no-contest plea Friday to second-degree murder of her mother in July.

Victoria Smith, 60, of Leavenworth beat her 85-year-old mother with a 3-pound mallet, according to Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but conveys no defense will be taken up.

Smith lived in a home owned by her mother, Anna Higgins, in the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue. On July 3, Leavenworth police were called to the home, where they found Smith screaming that she had killed someone.

She later admitted to being surprised by being awakened by Higgins. Smith then struck her mother with a flashlight in the doorway to her bedroom, moved her to the living room and proceeded to strike her several more times with the mallet, according to the Leavenworth County Attorney.

Higgins was found dead at the scene.

Thompson said Smith only entered her plea after gaining approval from family.

“We are only glad to have a resolution on this case for the family,” Thompson said. “This is a sad situation all the way around.”

Smith’s sentencing is scheduled for July 21.

Thompson said he expects Smith will be sentenced to about 13 years in prison, based on state sentencing guidelines.

He said by phone Friday that she was aware the woman she had beaten was her mother and not a random intruder.

“I can’t explain why she beat her to death,” Thompson said. “What the facts showed was that she hit her mother with a flashlight … and once she realized what she did she finished killing her mom.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Leavenworth woman pleads no contest to the beating death of her mother with a mallet."