Woman Who Killed MMA Fighter's Toddler In Hit-And-Run Sentenced

TORRANCE, CA – A 72-year-old woman pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter Tuesday, following a hit-and-run death of an MMA fighters' 15-month-old son. The woman, Donna Marie Higgins, was immediately taken into custody according to a court clerk, and sentenced to six years in prison. Higgins had also been charged with two counts related to drunken driving and hit-and-run for the Sept. 3, 2016, crash at the intersection of 133rd Street and Hawthorne Boulevard, but those charges were dismissed under a plea negotiated with prosecutors.

Liam Mikel Kowal was being pushed in a stroller by his 15-year-old aunt in a crosswalk when they were struck by Higgins' SUV. Witnesses followed Higgins for about a block, then used their vehicles to box in the SUV until police arrived. The aunt was injured in the crash, and Kowal was sent to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Surgeons at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center were able to stabilize the child following the collision, but medical tests showed that he wouldn't recover. His parents, MMA fighter/trainer Marcus Kowal and Mishel Eder made the decision to remove him from life support and donate his organs after the test results came back.

Higgins was initially arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run and drunken driving, then booked four days later on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter after the toddler was taken off life support. She was released on bond.

Kowal spoke in court Thursday, saying Higgins had to have seen the toddler and teen girl "lying unconscious in the middle of the street, yet she tried to flee the scene."

Eder said she longs "every day for my old life back and long every day for my baby back."

At his son's Sept. 12, 2016, memorial service, Kowal talked about the outpouring of support following the tragedy.

"As horrific of a week (as) this has been, I've never seen or felt as much love, all because of Liam," the MMA fighter said. "People have come together in ways I have never seen before ... (It) has meant so much to us."

The toddler's parents co-founded Liam's Life Foundation in their son's honor in an effort to "change the social culture around drinking and driving through awareness, education and partnerships." The foundation will work closely with the automotive industry to ensure that technology for automatic braking be made available and mandatory for all cars, according to a statement posted on the foundation's website.

Kowal has been active on social media since the accident, urging the public not to drink and drive.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post

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