During the 14th century, the English borrowed the word heinous from the Anglo-French word haineus, which was derived from haine (meaning "hate"), a noun derived from hair ("to hate").  The French ultimately derived their word from the Germanic word hair, meaning "to hate," which was related to the Old High German word haz (meaning "hate").

The earliest known use of the word "heinous" in English dates back to the Middle English period, around 1374, in the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer. 

The word "heinous" used in a sentence: 
"They were guilty of the most heinous crimes and they are dead."
"Now he is a member of the administration that committed all these heinous crimes."
"He deserves nil for his heinous crime."
"The heinous crime has left them all distraught." 
"This is a heinous crime and the soldiers should get the most severe punishment."
"They're afraid this heinous crime will go unpunished if he is found to be insane."
"I look forward to the sentencing of these criminals for such heinous crimes."

Just the facts:

HEINOUS Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

12 hours ago, drpaladin said:

@Myr

Phil Spector fits heinous, but he's also dead.

As are many individuals who've been caught or committed suicide after they carried out heinous crimes (eg David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson, as well as notorious school shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold [Columbine], Adam Lanza [Sandy Hook], and Nikolas Cruz [Parkland] to name a few).   Many more are in prison, although a few might have managed to get away after they've committed heinous deeds, such as the Zodiac killer, the Black Dahlia murderer, and Jack the Ripper.