Ricky Holland Vanished

Judge Manderfield ruled today in Lansing Superior Court that the jail house informant who testified in the preliminary hearing will be allowed to testify in the murder trial.

During the preliminary hearing Ms. Mountain testified that Lisa Holland had confessed to her that she killed her adoptive son Ricky Holland by striking him in the head with a hammer.

Lisa Holland’s attorneys tried to have this testimony suppressed from the murder trial. They claim that the information she has came from documents she stole from Lisa Holland’s cell. Although Ms. Mountain indicated during today’s testimony that she indeed did have the documents, she further explained that she never read them. Any information she is privy to regarding Ricky’s murder came directly from Lisa Holland during conversations between the two cellmates.

What we now have for testimony indicating Lisa’s responsibility for hitting Ricky with a hammer is two people. One, Tim Holland claims he saw Lisa hit Ricky with the hammer. Two, we now have a stranger who claims that Lisa confessed to hitting Ricky on the head with the hammer.

I wonder how the jury will look at these two witnesses. One witness, Tim Holland has a reason to point the finger at Lisa as being the only one guilty for Ricky’s death. He only implicates himself in disposal of the body. The other witness has a past criminal record and according to the Defense, she also has a memory disorder for which she is being treated with medication. Are these two witnesses reliable enough to convince the jury?

Even if the jury decides that the testimony is truthful and reliable regarding Ricky being struck with a hammer by Lisa Holland there is still a problem. There is no evidence as to the cause of death. Pathology reports cannot determine the cause of death because of the condition of the body when it was found. The only proof with these two witnesses is that Lisa struck Ricky with a hammer. I believe the defense attorneys will be able to prove reasonable doubt that the injuries inflicted to Ricky with the hammer may not have been enough to cause death. In a criminal case like this it is up to the prosecution to prove the case and take away that reasonable doubt. It is up to the defense to provide enough reasonable doubt. Certainly it is not helpful to have yet another witness that will testify pointing to Lisa’s jailhouse confession but I think the defense will be able to work around this problem.

As far as Tim Holland is concerned, he has provided more evidence in his own words to detectives pointing to his guilt of supposedly witnessing a murder, disposing of the body and concealing the murder from law enforcement. He lied from the beginning by making that 9-1-1 call and reporting his son as a runaway. He also had that interview on the local radio station further making him look bad by claiming Ricky ranaway even telling the public that Ricky had been an aggressor towards his baby sister earlier in the evening of his disappearance, causing Tim to have to punish Ricky for the act.

Sometimes when people lie there is usually a bit of truth mixed in with the lie. Suppose that the incident really did happen that night where Ricky hit or pushed his baby sister. Suppose that is when the violence occurred while Tim was punishing Ricky for his bad behavior. Remember, the baby sister is Tim and Lisa Holland’s biological child. There is already enough evidence from neighbors that the Holland’s looked at Ricky as a problem child. Tim even referred to him to one neighbor as having “Ted Bundy disease”. Would an act of aggression no matter how small against Tim and Lisa Holland’s baby have been enough for Tim Holland to lose control when punishing him for that act of agression.

Lisa Holland claims that she believes Tim snapped while he was in the bedroom with Ricky. She thinks Tim may have strangled or suffocated Ricky.

I would like to know what time Tim called his mother to find out if Ricky could come and stay with her for a couple of weeks. Tim claims that is when Lisa “lost it”, when he was making those arrangements. They claim they put Ricky to bed at approximately 9:30 p.m. Tim also claims that the incident with the baby occurred just prior to viewing the movie that was rented for Ricky, Tim and Lisa to watch together. I would like to know what time Lisa was at the video store renting the movie.

I think it will be imperative for the prosecution to prove their case to have more evidence than what has been released in the media. I am sure they have more evidence, I just hope it is more substantial.

At this point all they can prove so far judging from the media reports is:

• Ricky died
• Someone murdered him
• Tim Holland hid the body
• Tim and Lisa Holland both lied about Ricky’s disappearance
• Lisa Holland was a verbally and psychologically abusive parent

At this point they do not have the murderer identified. Lisa Holland may be convicted of child abuse. Maybe that is why the defense is trying so hard to have the child abuse charges dropped. The prosecution can prove child abuse at the hands of Lisa Holland but they will have a hard time proving murder beyond a reasonable doubt. As for Tim Holland they can prove he hid the body and that is a crime in and of itself. They could have proven filing a false police report but the prosecution dropped those charges.

I am glad I am not on this jury. It would be a hard case to help decide. I think the prosecution needs to look closer at Tim Holland and that interview with the radio station. It may be true that Lisa hit Ricky on the head with the hammer; however, it may also be true that Tim Holland, in a fit of rage over his baby daughter being hit by Ricky lost his temper and strangled Ricky.

• Lansing State Journal
  

Lisa Holland was supposed to go to trial for domestic battery in Lansing, Michigan. Charges were dropped when it was learned that Tim Holland would be exercising his 5th Amendment right when question during the trial.

This is quite interesting. I wonder what he has to keep his mouth shut about. I wonder what questions Lisa’s attorney would asked Tim that would be incriminating.

Of course Tim Holland has every right to exercise his 5th Amendment Right but by exercising that right he appears guilty on so many different levels. It looks as though he is in for the long-haul. I really expected him to ask for a plea-deal before the murder trial.

At least money was not wasted on an unnecessary trial for domestic battery.