Brian Holliman has been transported to the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, according to the Mississippi Department of Corrections” Web site.
Holliman, 28, of 770 North Wolf Road in Caledonia, last Friday was convicted of the Oct. 25, 2008, murder of his wife, Laura-Lee Godfrey Holliman, then 24, and sentenced to life in prison. He could be eligible for parole at age 65.
Brian Holliman, who maintains he did not shoot his wife with a 12-gauge shotgun intentionally, plans to appeal the conviction.
Sixteenth Circuit Judge Lee Howard presided over the case, heard last week at the Lowndes County Courthouse. Howard previously had denied a motion by Brian Holliman”s attorney, Steve Farese, for a change of venue.
Holliman had been free on bond pending his trial since November 2008 and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Brian Holliman was arrested Oct. 29 by the LCSO; his bond was set at $1 million on Oct. 30 by the late Lowndes County Justice Court Judge Phillip Robertson. The defendant later was released on a signature bond, but was rearrested the following day.
Howard in November 2008 reduced Brian Holliman”s $1 million bond to $200,000 because he had no prior capital convictions and had never been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Laura Holliman”s death originally was investigated as a suicide, but Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant and sheriff”s office investigators became suspicious of the death and began questioning Brian Holliman, who later admitted to killing his wife accidentally, during an argument.
District Attorney Forrest Allgood prosecuted the case.
Offenders sentenced to the MDOC are sent to CMCF for processing, according to MDOC. Each offender is screened for STD, HIV and other medical conditions, provided a psychiatric evaluation and questioned about their educational level.
Test results, the nature of the offender”s conviction and institutional behavior establish the classification of each inmate.
CMCF is the only state prison housing female inmates. The prison also houses minimum- and medium-security male offenders, as well as some maximum-security offenders.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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