Holli Jeffcoat
James and Deborah Holland
A house divided: Holli Jeffcoat family struggles to cope with her death, allegations and arrests
Slain teen Holli Jeffcoat’s stepfather and mother, James and Debi Holland, are now both being held at the Lubbock County jail, each facing a charge relating to sexual abuse. Debi Holland, 38, was arrested Friday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of her 18-year-old special-needs daughter. James Holland, 39, was jailed on March 10 on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child for alleged abuse of a minor stepdaughter.
“More charges are definitely coming soon,” said Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Bryan Taylor.
“This investigation is not over by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.
The arrests are the latest in a series of events that reveal allegations of abuse and neglect in the family spanning more than a decade.
Finding Holli
On Feb. 10, a slice of a tree trunk with “I love you” carved into the center stood on the porch of a pale blue house accented with white shutters. The front door was decorated with smiling images of Santa Claus indicating life and celebration before a slaying in the northeast Lubbock County home. Holli Jeffcoat’s lifeless body was carried out through that same door. That morning, sheriff’s officials said they were called to the home after her younger sister found her dead in a partially burned room.
As investigators gathered evidence, A-J Media on the scene spotted a pink box lying on the ground — the only sign of color in the loose brown dirt in a field near the house where Jeffcoat’s body was found. The box was an empty, early-result Equate brand pregnancy test. A window to the room was open; the curtains blew in the wind. The white sheets investigators used to block out the crowd of media waved and tightened with every gust. A van drove away and Jeffcoat, who family members fondly remember as a loving, happy teen, was gone.
As details of the slain teen’s death surfaced, Holli’s uncle, Ronny Lemmond, said he believes there is more to the family than meets the eye.
More than three months later, Jeffcoat’s killing remains unsolved, but the investigation has revealed a history of Child Protective Services allegations that, until recently, remained hidden from the family.
Following Debi Holland’s arrest Friday night, Lemmond teared up as he spoke. Lemmond said he is heartbroken — his greatest fears are coming true. During an interview with A-J Media in February, he said if Debi knew about the alleged abuse, she needed to be jailed, too.
“Debi and James were so secretive about everything,” he said, as he spoke about his sister and her husband.
Lemmond sat in the A-J Media office days after the investigation opened, visibly fighting back tears as he spoke about being the first person in the house after investigators cleared the scene, specifically Holli’s room.
He said once investigators released Debi Holland after questioning, she said she needed to go back to the house to get some clothes. Lemmond said he told Debi they can be brave together.
Upon entering the residence, he said, smoke came out of every vent from the house as Holli’s room still smoldered.
He said the light to Jeffcoat’s room was off. When Debi asked him to turn the light on, he said he was standing in dried blood.
Lemmond choked back the tears as he said he could feel the blood cracking underneath his feet.
The last thing he remembered was his sister asking him to grab Holli’s glasses. Shaky and crying, he said he sat down holding Jeffcoat’s soot-stained glasses as they colored his hands black.
He said the bed was burned in an “L” shape and the carpet was burned down to the hardwood floor. He said one of the things that bothered him about the scene was there was no blood on the bed, only the floor.
Lt. Taylor said Jeffcoat had been stabbed numerous times and, in what appeared to be an effort to conceal evidence, her body was partially burned.
Court documents show her neck was slashed and internal organs were exposed and her uterus was removed.
An affidavit filed in a Lubbock court states that Jeffcoat told Lorenzo High officials Jan. 29, weeks before she was killed, that her stepfather, James Holland, would pick her up from the bus stop and drive her out to the country to have sex with her. As a result of this, the records show, Jeffcoat told the same official she was pregnant.
Taylor later confirmed that Holli was pregnant at the time of her death.
Although Holli was 18 and legally an adult, a 2008 CPS affidavit states that Jeffcoat was mentally challenged. Her mental age was that of a six or seven year old. Taylor said by phone Saturday that Holli could not have given consent for sexual relations because of her mental state.
“With her being mentally handicapped, she couldn’t even give consent at 45,” he said.
On Jan. 29, Holli also alleged that James Holland sexually abused her younger sister. Lorenzo school officials alerted police and CPS determined Feb. 3 the outcry was credible, but records show Jeffcoat’s sister initially denied the abuse and called Holli a liar.
During this time, James Holland was ordered to vacate the property, but officials allege both Debi Holland and James violated the safety plan implemented by CPS and Lorenzo police Chief Dave Smith.
In the aftermath of Holli’s death, CPS officials filed an affidavit Feb. 11 stating Jeffcoat’s sister had refused a medical exam but due to conflicting evidence regarding the homicide investigation, the sister was promptly removed from her home because officials feared continuing danger to the 15-year-old.
At Jeffcoat’s funeral, her sister wore a black dress as she quietly wept on the opposite side of the room from James and Debi Holland.
A day after the funeral, officials from CPS asked a Lubbock County court to terminate the Hollands’ parental rights over Jeffcoat’s younger sister.
CPS officials allege the 15-year-old’s parent allowed her to remain in harmful conditions, outlining years of CPS abuse investigations into the family dating back to 1998, A-J Media reported at the time.
“(The parent) has demonstrated an inability to provide the child with a safe environment,” the petition states.
CPS spokesman Paul Zimmerman said the teenage girl was immediately placed in foster care and is receiving counseling after she found Jeffcoat’s body.
As detailed in the search warrant for James Holland’s phone, once the minor child was in protective custody, she made an outcry to CPS officials of alleged sexual abuse by James Holland,
Holli’s allegations were the beginning of a series of outcries, which eventually led to the issuance of multiple search warrants and the arrest of James Holland for sexual abuse.
Now, as the family tries to make sense of the arrests and as family members say relations continue to crumble, a paper trail detailing years of CPS activity comes to light.
The investigation
On Feb. 11, Lubbock sheriff’s investigators searched a 2009 Jay Flight travel trailer located at Crossfire Manufacturing. A court document states James Holland was residing in the trailer due to a protective order filed by
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Service, Child Protective Services, against Holland after Jeffcoat’s sexual assault outcry. The same document shows Debi Holland violated the protective order by allowing
James to have contact with the children from Jan. 29 through Feb. 10.
The search warrant for the trailer was based on the following evidence:
■ paint on James Holland’s hands similar to the paint from Holli’s window at the crime scene
■ a partial bottle of lighter fluid
■ a lighter in James Holland’s pants pocket — the pants worn the day Holli was found dead.
Items recovered by authorities from the trailer:
■ a yellow notebook with writing
■ a wet, red washcloth
■ two pairs of blue jeans
(All listed items were found in search affidavit)
Debi Holland’s brother Lemmond said he waited for her and Holli’s sister at the sheriff’s office as investigators interviewed them, because he wanted to console them.
“She (Debi) was happy to see me and I was happy to see her,” Lemmond said. “They brought her out in a hazmat suit, they took her clothes, everything, they took her fingernails.”
Lemmond said he told Holli’s sister he was sorry she saw the gruesome scene because it was his understanding she was the person who found the body.
As she sat crying on his lap, he said, he told her “we’re going to find who did this.”
Lubbock County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sridhar Natarajan said he gave authorization to release Jeffcoat’s body on Feb.12, after which Jeffcoat was cremated and her funeral service held Feb. 16.
Lt. Taylor said Jeffcoat’s dog, a small lap dog, was found deceased at the scene. An autopsy was performed on the dog, Taylor said, but investigators believe it was not killed. Debi’s mother, Sherrie Ray, said the dog was cremated and placed with Jeffcoat.
Through a records search, A-J Media learned James Holland’s parents, Cliff and Kathryn Holland, owned metal fabrication business Crossfire Manufacturing on U.S. 62/82, 4.5 miles west of Jeffcoat’s home.
On Feb. 12, A-J Media attempted to interview Kathryn Holland at the family-owned business.
When asked about James and Debi Holland’s whereabouts and well-being, Kathryn said, “leave now.”
Less than two weeks later, A-J Media spotted investigators searching the property surrounding Crossfire. James Holland’s trailer was no longer at the scene.
A few days into the search for Jeffcoat’s killer, Taylor labeled immediate and some extended family members as “uncooperative” to the investigation.
But with more information coming in, Taylor said, investigators are beginning to narrow their target.
He said officials have been relentless in working the case and are getting closer every day, but they are still waiting for pending lab results.
“This is not a cold case by any means,” Taylor said, “it’s very hot, very active. There are just a lot of things to take into consideration. A lot of evidence is still at the lab being analyzed.”
On March 10, 39-year-old James Holland was arrested and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child, Holli’s sister, and he remains in Lubbock County jail. His bond is set at $2 million. Nearly two months later, Debi
Holland was booked into the same facility for aggravated sexual assault of her daughter, Holli Jeffcoat. Her bond is set at $500,000.
Cora Christofferson, James Holland’s mother, said there was no way he was capable of harming anyone, and said authorities have the wrong man.
“I don’t know what is going on,” Christofferson said, “but they will get to the bottom of this.”
Family reaction
Video of James Holland being escorted into the Lubbock County Detention Center and the video of Debi Holland’s arrest Friday shows both with an expressionless face. Both are far different from the family video shown to
A-J Media by Debi Holland’s brother Lemmond, which showed happier times before Jeffcoat was killed.
Lemmond and his long-term boyfriend, Donovan Reed, sat with A-J Media as they watched a video of the Holland family celebrating a birthday.
The family gathered around a table singing “Happy Birthday.” Debi held the cake and smiled while Jeffcoat sat in the corner.
Looking back at the clip, Lemmond said he noticed Jeffcoat’s arms folded in front of her stomach. He said maybe she already knew she was pregnant. He said the thought of the abuse made his stomach churn.
“I miss her terribly,” he said of Jeffcoat. “It feels like — it actually feels like my heart is really broke.”
Lemmond said he had always disliked James, speaking of claims of infidelity. He said what he did not know, is how far his sister was willing to go to protect her husband.
In an effort to begin a community support initiative, Lemmond began the social media campaign named #justiceforholli. A Facebook page titled “Justice for Holli Jeffcoat” received hundreds of likes within the first few days of its kickoff as friends and others within the community joined Lemmond as he demanded answers.
“We want to help people get to know Holli, and how pretty she was,” Lemmond said.
Lemmond remembered Jeffcoat as a joyous young girl — innocent and full of life.
He said with Jeffcoat’s death and other CPS cases coming to light, he questions everything he knew about his sister and the life she lived.
Lemmond recalled times filled with laughter and love. Family gatherings and warm embraces, but the tears of happiness turned to tears of sadness and anger with the chain of events that took place when Jeffcoat was killed.
On Feb. 16, Jeffcoat was remembered by friends and family during her funeral. A slideshow displayed on television screens showed a smiling girl. A teddy bear, butterflies and a sports trophy told about Jeffcoat.
Attendees cried as they mourned the loss of the teenage girl. Police wore vests as they waited outside the funeral home.
James and Debi Holland sat in the front row as the Rev. Philip Hilton told mourners justice will prevail.
Afterward, Lemmond said he and his boyfriend were outside smoking a cigarette when officers swarmed James Holland and served him with a search warrant for his phone.
Reed said James Holland repeatedly called for his father.
The phone was part of a series of search warrants issued by the sheriff’s office.
Each additional search warrant helped create a timeline in the case as desperation built for family members wanting to give Jeffcoat a voice — the voice that was silenced after Jeffcoat alleged to school officials about the abuse her and her sister suffered at the hands of her stepfather.
Troubled past
Born on May 10, 1997, Holli Jeffcoat made her debut in the world. Photos show a baby with a wide smile.
Jeffcoat, the middle child, had an older brother and a younger half-sister.
Lemmond, her uncle, said Jeffcoat was loved, and Debi Holland’s three children were successful in their own rite and well-mannered. The first sign of trouble came in the first months of 2005.
CPS investigated the family when Jeffcoat was 7. Court documents show Debi Holland moved her children into a smaller residence while engaged to the father of her youngest child. Holli told investigators she shared a bed with a male non-relative in the house who she alleged touched her sexually. Court documents show sexual abuse was ruled out.
Several days after the investigation was closed, Debi Holland was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after she was pulled over by police in Slaton.
A few months later, Debi Holland’s fiance died in a work-related accident, and in 2006, another CPS report was filed. This time, Holland’s parenting was in question after she reportedly “flipped out” and began throwing things in a fit of rage. Police were called out at the time and it was determined neglectful supervision of Debi’s three children had occurred. Police said the children were clean in appearance but the house was filthy. Court documents state the children were removed from her care. CPS closed the case a few months later.
On Oct. 14, 2006, Debi and James Holland were married in Lubbock County. James had a history of offenses prior to their marriage beginning in 1997, ranging from forgery to burglary of a habitation.
A year later, doctors made an alarming discovery after a car accident that required medical evaluation. They discovered 10-year-old Jeffcoat had trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease, according to court documents. James Holland told medical staff that Holli’s biological father was in jail for sexually abusing another child. At this point, CPS determined there was reason to believe Jeffcoat had been sexually abused by her biological father, who was four years into his eight-year prison sentence for unrelated charges.
Debi Holland, Lemmond said, had told the family at the time of the investigation that Holli was sexually abused by her biological father.
During this time, a separate CPS investigation occurred after James allegedly physically abused two young family members. Documents show during this investigation, caseworkers were alerted to James and another sibling sexually abusing a younger sibling throughout their childhood.
A 2016 court document shows a disposition for the 2008 investigation ruling out neglectful supervision by James and Debi to their children.
While the report shows investigators were unable to conclude James was physically and/or sexually abusive in 2008, the report does state the family had “extensive CPS history.”
Lemmond said the situation doesn’t make sense; Holli didn’t have to die.
He said his sister didn’t tell him Holli was pregnant until the day she was killed and told him she didn’t want people to know about it.
Lemmond and Reed both said through it all, one thing never failed, Debi Holland had always fiercely defended James, and the situation has torn the family apart.
“I was just mortified,” Lemmond said. “You know it goes back to, ‘how could somebody do that to somebody so innocent and loving?’ ”
When asked who killed Jeffcoat, Lemmond arched his eyebrows and stopped smiling and said he doesn’t know, but believes James should be jailed permanently if he sexually abused the girls.
“I want Holli’s killer to know that I am going to be here every day to remind everybody that this happened to her,” Lemmond said, “and whoever didn’t protect her deserves the same thing that the killer does.”
A-J Media has reached out to other family members, including Debi Holland, numerous times since February. They have declined to comment.
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