Mary Ann Holder

Case record: Mary Ann Holder

Mary Ann Holder carried out a shooting spree and committed suicide by shooting herself the same day.

Background

Mary Ann Holder was 36 years old. Guilford County investigators described her as the person who went on the Nov. 20 shooting rampage in Guilford County.

Frances Holder said Mary Ann Holder was a loving mother and was “very close to her children.” Frances Holder also said she did not know what happened and said: “I know for a fact my daughter was [a good mother]. She was very close to her children,” and “I don't know what happened. I don't have answers. I'm waiting for answers just like everyone else.”

The offence

Mary Ann Holder shot multiple people and also shot to death her son Robert “Dylan” Smith, 17, her son Zachary “Zack” Smith, 14, her niece Hanaleigh Suttles, 8, and her nephew Richard Suttles, 17. She also shot Randal Lamb, and she shot Makayla Woods, 15, who died later.

Sheriff B.J. Barnes said Holder was the lone shooter in the five deaths and that ballistic testing revealed that the gun found in Mary Ann Holder’s hand was the same weapon used in the shootings.

The shootings occurred in three different locations south of Greensboro.

The sheriff’s office said on Sunday morning Mary Ann Holder shot Randy Lamb, her former boyfriend, in the elbow and shoulder in the parking lot of GTCC’s aviation center on Regional Road. Prior to killing herself in her black Ford Explorer on Remora Road, Holder fatally shot her son Robert Dylan Smith, 17; son Zack Smith, 14; and niece Hanaleigh Suttles, 8. The account also said Holder fatally shot her 17-year-old nephew, Richard Suttles, and shot Ricky Suttles and Dylan’s girlfriend Makayla Woods, 15.

A later autopsy release described the autopsies for 36-year-old Mary Ann Holder and her victims and stated that all were shot in the head with a .38-caliber handgun. It also stated that Holder’s autopsy found only caffeine in her system.

Investigation

Autopsies released by the state medical examiner’s office indicated that Holder had no drugs in her system. Investigators found a bag containing cocaine, along with a chemical used to dilute the drug, in her vehicle.

Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes said investigators could not find a clear motive for Holder’s shooting rampage.

Sheriff B.J. Barnes said ballistic testing revealed that the gun found in Mary Ann Holder’s hand was the same weapon used in the shootings that killed five children and injured a man. He also said cell phone records confirmed the location of Mary Ann Holder for all the shootings.

Court documents described a prior transaction involving Randal Lamb: Major Tom Sheppard said Mary Ann Holder gave Randal Lamb, a check made out to his wife in the amount of $10,000, the day before the shootings. He said the check was a “settlement” to Jennifer’s threat to file an alienation of affection lawsuit against Holder. The account also said it was unclear what role that transaction may have played into her actions.

Investigators were trying to figure out why Mary Ann Holder left more than $10,000 in checks behind for her daughter before killing two teenagers and three children in November 2011. The Greensboro News & Record reported that court documents showed Holder left checks for a total of $10,600 for her daughter Christina Key, dated two days before the shootings. It said deputies found two checks—one for $2,600 and another for $8,000—written for “Christina Smith,” which was Key’s maiden name. It said the checks were left with a suicide note.

The account also said Holder left a suicide note, and that the notes included taking responsibility for the shootings and apologizing for the pain she caused. Sheriff Barnes said the notes apologized for the pain she caused but also that Holder felt “wronged.”

The investigation included questions about the order and timing of shootings in Holder’s home and whether they happened before or after she met with Lamb.

Sheriff’s Office statements said that the Lambs and Holder reached an “out of court settlement” the day before the shooting, and that the Lambs’ contact with an attorney to start an alienation of affection lawsuit process had not been filed and had not gone to court.

The sheriff’s office also said Lamb and Holder had been an affair at one time.

Arrest

Mary Ann Holder was not described as being arrested; instead, investigators found Holder dead and her son Zachary shot in the head after officers were stationed outside her home.

Trial

No trial information was included.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was included.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Mary Ann Holder committed suicide by shooting herself the same day.

Autopsies released in Pleasant Garden shootings were issued for 36-year-old Mary Ann Holder and her victims. The autopsies showed Holder had no drugs in her system, but investigators found a bag containing cocaine in her vehicle.

The shootings resulted in five children killed: Dylan Smith (17), Hannaleigh Suttles (8), Zack Smith (14), Makayla Woods (15), and Richard Suttles (17). The sheriff said Randal Lamb survived the shooting.

Aftermath

The outpouring of grief and anger occurred on the eve of the funeral for the victims.

Sheriff B.J. Barnes said there is still no clear motive as to why Mary Ann Holder shot all the victims.

A family friend, Amy Turner, said: “It's just heartbreaking that a mom can come to that point where she feel like there's no other options.”

A family friend said the grandchildren lived on through organ donations: Frances Holder said: “There's 15 other lives my grandchildren saved.”

Two additional notes left by Holder took responsibility for the shootings and apologized for the pain she caused. Sheriff Barnes said Holder also felt “wronged.”

Timeline

• November 20, 2011 — Mary Ann Holder carried out shootings in Pleasant Garden and at the GTCC Aviation Center; she shot her former boyfriend Randal Lamb and then killed her sons, niece, and nephew, before killing herself.
• February 27 (year not stated) — Holder wrote in a hospital blog about Beth’s life ebbed away from an unyielding lung infection.
• February 14, 2012 — Autopsies were released describing that Holder had no drugs in her system, and reporting findings including caffeine and cocaine in her vehicle.
• January 10, 2012 — Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes issued a news release confirming Holder was the only shooter involved in the shootings and describing ballistic and cell record confirmation.
• January 6, 2012 — Investigators tried to figure out why Holder left multiple checks behind, in connection with a settlement and checks for Christina Key.
• December 11, 2011 — A profile described Mary Ann Holder as the prime suspect and discussed relationships and events leading up to the shootings.
• December 2, 2011 — Holder’s mother spoke out on the eve of the funeral for the victims of the shooting spree.
• November 22, 2011 — The sheriff’s office investigated possible motive for the shootings, describing an out-of-court settlement and the prior alienation of affection matter.

Other details

Sheriff BJ Barnes said the gunwoman left behind two notes taking responsibility for the shootings and apologizing for the pain she was causing, and that she felt “wronged.”

A wife’s 911 call was described as follows: “I don't know exactly what happened, but my husband has been shot. 'He's on his way... He's getting ready to - umm... he just called me and said he was on the highway and that he had been shot. 'He was at - I don't know for sure... I think he was at his work. 'And this woman who he had had an affair with... she was there when he got there and she shot him.'”

Sheriff BJ Barnes said: “We've got death. We've got drama. We've got a situation basically no one could ever imagine.” He also said: “We've got death. We've got drama. We've got a situation basically no one could ever imagine,” and: “it was 'one of the worst situations I've seen in my 30 years in law enforcement'.”

Sheriff Barnes said: “They were obviously shot for the purpose of killing them.” He also said: “You can call it an execution, you can call it a shooting, you can call it whatever you want. The result is the same.” He added: “We may never know exactly what her thoughts were and why' .”

Mark Couch said: “It feels like we’re looking at a puzzle with the outside put together, but the whole inside is missing,” and: “I have a hard time believing that’s how it went down.” He also said: “I don't know that I’ll rest until I get that explanation. ” and Stacy Couch said: “It makes “zero sense” for a person to buy groceries, let alone cut someone a $10,000 check, while contemplating suicide and multiple homicides.”

A friend Stacy Couch said Holder feared the lawsuit because it could raise questions about her character and might prevent her from getting permanent custody of Beth’s children. A boyfriend, David Stokes, said: “My kids are my life,” and: “After seeing her with them, she loved those kids more than life itself, I guarantee you.”

The DailyMail account described that authorities found a deputy had spotted Holder’s parked car that Sunday morning and found Holder dead; it said deputies recovered two handguns inside the vehicle, one in Holder’s lap.

The Greensboro News & Record described court papers showing Holder left checks for her daughter Christina Key and said the checks were left with a suicide note. The same account also described Holder writing a $10,000 check to the wife of her former boyfriend the day before the shooting, and said Robert “Rocky” Smith, Holder’s ex-husband, said: “I have a hard time believing that’s how it went down,” and that he didn’t think she had the money to cover the checks.

Guilford County Sheriff’s Department Major Tom Sheppard described the $10,000 check as a “settlement” to Jennifer’s threat to file an alienation of affection lawsuit.

A legal explanation was provided by family law attorney Carolyn Woodruff, who said: “An alienation of affection essentially is someone has rear-ended a marriage and caused the marriage to break up like you might cause a crunch in a car and if there's damages related to that, that's recoverable.” She also said: “You can only sue for money in an alienation of affection case.” She said: “The family lawyers as a group have had many united fronts to try to get rid of it. The family oriented political groups want it because they believe that it preserves marriage,” and: “North Carolina is one of seven states that has alienation of affection.” She also added: “I think that people are deterred by it and I think that they're very careful not to come into North Carolina sometimes if they're aware of it,”

A quote from Holder’s mother about an alleged conversation: “She said, 'I was slapped with a $250,000 alienation of affection (lawsuit),'”

Stokes said: “She was crying. She was upset.” and “I know we talked for an hour and a half about this,” and “I told her, you know, you don't have to do this. They’ll never win this case.”