Board Denies Parole for Murdered Lubbock County Teen’s Mother
Debi Holland, who was accused in 2016 of covering up the sexual abuse of her disabled daughter Holli Jeffcoat, has been denied parole.
On February 10th, 2016, 18-year-old Holli Jeffcoat was found stabbed to death in a home that someone tried to set on fire. She was pregnant at the time, and when officers found her body, the womb and uterus were cut out.
KAMC News reports that not even two weeks before she was killed, Holli Jeffcoat told school officials that her stepfather, James Holland, had been sexually abusing her. It was alleged that Holland would regularly pick her up after school and take her to a secluded area to have sex with her.
Holland was arrested and pleaded guilty to capital murder in December 2018. He is currently serving a life sentence.
More on the Holli Jeffcoat murder case
In February 2016, Holli told her mother about the sexual abuse, but Mrs. Holland reportedly told her not to tell anyone since they "would not have anyone to pay the bills in the home."
Mrs. Holland was arrested in May 2016. While she didn't commit the murder, she was initially charged with aggravated sexual assault of the elderly or disabled. In 2019, she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, injury to a child, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
KAMC News says the reason for Holland's parole being denied was in part due to the severity of the crime. She will be considered for parole again in 2022.