Ricky Holland Vanished

Here is a link to an interview conducted on WWJ by Jayne Bower with Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings, III regarding Ricky’s case, the verdict, and what he thinks needs to be done to prevent the high occurrence of child homicides in Michigan.

Ricky Holland Guilty Verdict 10/27
He makes some good points.

Something keeps nagging at me about this case. Lisa’s defense or lack of a defense is what is nagging at me. The only thing that the defense brought up in defense of Lisa’s not-guilty plea is that Tim Holland is a liar. They brought her mother and sister to the witness stand to state that Lisa loved her children and they never saw any signs of abuse. The claimed Tim Holland was a controlling father and strict disciplinarian.

If I was fighting for my life – in this case facing life in prison without the possibility of parole – I would have fought harder than Lisa Holland if I were truly innocent of murdering my child.

Sure, the defense brought Lisa’s father to testify in her defense but even he was not a good witness because he is implicated in the abuse of Ricky and maybe even aiding in his murder. According to Tim Holland, Mr. Taylor is at least guilty of assisting the couple in formulating a story prior to speaking to investigators.

Someone left a comment stating an interesting theory. Maybe Mr. Taylor was brought called to testify and invoked his 5th amendment right to self-incrimination to create reasonable doubt. I think this is a good theory. If enough of the jurors believe that Tom Taylor had a hand in murdering Ricky they might be reluctant to convict Lisa on the first-degree murder charge.

What are the chances in Lansing, Michigan for a jury to convict a frail old man of murdering his grandson if he is ever charged with the crime or even charged with child abuse or accessory after the fact? I am thinking people would be reluctant to convict a frail old man who has lived in the community for a great number of years. Even his demeanor on the stand was that of a confused old man who really did not understand what was going on and why he needed to speak to an attorney prior to his testimony. I am thinking he most likely did not see the reason to invoke his 5th amendment right.

As far as Lisa’s mother is concerned – she too had to obtain legal advisement just prior to taking the stand due to possible perjury concerns.

If Lisa Holland is convicted on any charges of which she is accused I predict a valid reason for appeal – lack of competent legal representation.

If anything sealed Lisa’s fate it was Mr. Abood’s speaking for Ricky in his closing arguments. I have heard from people that during the trial there was a lot of laughing and joking around from the defense table throughout the trial. From all appearances they did not appear to take the murder and abuse of a 7-year-old innocent child seriously only to use his voice to accuse his father of the crime was insensitive at the least.

The best defense advise Lisa Holland could have received was to plead guilty and strike a plea deal to perhaps second-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter.

In the end the only question that needs an answer is why was Ricky Holland abused and murdered in a state-sanctioned home?