x
Breaking News
More () »

Man charged with killing Dickson County officer eligible for death penalty

Steven Wiggins and Erika Castro-Miles are both charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of Dickson Co. deputy Sgt. Daniel Baker.

DICKSON, TN (WSMV) - The man and woman charged in the death of a Dickson County sergeant were scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.

Steven Wiggins and Erika Castro-Miles are both charged with first-degree premeditated murder.

Wiggins appeared in court before Castro-Miles. He was indicted on 12 charges and entered a not guilty plea. The trial is set for August 2019.

Wiggins is eligible for the death penalty and now faces federal charges.

“We stand here in absolute solidarity to say to anyone who commits an act of violence against a law enforcement officer, particularly if you kill or seriously injure one of our men and women in blue, you will face the full force and effect of our justice system and we will be unrelenting in our unified efforts to bring you to justice – just as we have done here,” said U.S. Attorney Don Cochran.

Many previously unknown details were released in court Friday. Officials say after shooting Sgt. Baker, Wiggins set the police cruiser on fire, with Baker inside.

Wiggins allegedly took Sgt. Baker's gun and radio, and even communicated to other police officers, pretending to be Sgt. Baker.

When Sgt. Baker and Wiggins first made contact, Wiggins gave a false statement and a fraudulent social security number. Wiggins was violating probation for previous charges before allegedly killing Sgt. Baker.

Police say Wiggins shot and killed Sgt. Daniel Baker and that Castro-Miles was with him during the murder.

Castro-Miles had a video arraignment Friday morning.

District Attorney General Ray Crouch Jr. has previously said he will be seeking the death penalty for both defendants.

Crouch, along with U.S. Attorney Don Cochran and Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe, will be holding a news conference at 11 a.m. Friday. They say they will be announcing "significant developments" in the Wiggins case.

Before You Leave, Check This Out