Brittany Holberg

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Brittany Holberg
Incarcerated
Children1
Conviction(s)Capital murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Imprisoned atPatrick O'Daniel Unit

Brittany Marlowe Holberg (born January 1, 1973) is a woman on

paring knife, a butcher knife, a grapefruit knife and a fork. He also suffered blunt trauma to the head from a hammer, and a foot-long lamp pole had been shoved more than five inches (127 mm) down his throat.[2]

Murder trial

Patrick O'Daniel Unit (then Mountain View Unit), where Holberg is held

After a knee injury, Holberg became addicted to painkillers. This led to the use of street drugs, a habit she supported with

crack pipe on Holberg. She told the jury that Towery struck Holberg twice in the head with a metal pan while her back was turned, and then threatened her with a knife. Holberg reacted by stabbing him with her own knife, and the fight escalated until Holberg put the lamp post in his mouth to attempt to end the struggle. Holberg believed she would have little legal recourse because of her status as a sex worker who used drugs, and she fled to Tennessee.[3]
After the murder she showered and exchanged her bloody clothes for some of his clean clothes. She also robbed him of $1400 that was in his wallet.

Holberg filed an appeal in the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas (no. 73,127), but on November 29, 2000, the appeals court upheld the decision of the trial court.[4]

In 2015, James Farren, the district attorney of Randall County, stated that due to the legal complications involving the Holberg case and the resulting legal expenses—he estimated the cost was about $400,000—and time expended, he would pursue

life imprisonment without parole for future capital murder cases unless there were exceptional circumstances.[5]

Personal life

Holberg has spoken out about the

, and the need for better prison conditions. In a 2001 letter written to the Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Holberg said,

Just two weeks ago, we were informed that not only would we be strip-searched for our one hour of recreation a day, but also when taken for a shower. So for the last two weeks, we have been stripped no less than six times a day, and our cells have been completely ransacked. This is every day, sometimes at times like 2:30 and 3 am, and we never leave the building - or our cells for that matter.[6]

She has also written on behalf of other prisoners, such as a 62-year-old murderer named Betty Lou Beets.[7]

In 2003, Holberg was interviewed by

Dallas Morning News account, Holberg was described as a woman who was exposed to drugs at home when she was 13 or 14 years old, and had married before she completed high school. After the dissolution of her marriage, she became addicted to drugs and confessed to scamming prescription medication from dentists with her aunt.[8] Holberg was caught with drugs and was released from state custody after completion of a substance-abuse felony punishment program on September 1, 1996.[3] Holberg had also once been gang raped, severely beaten, and cut with a knife; she was hospitalized after the incident.[8]

Holberg's was mentioned in a January 2007 Maxim magazine article titled "Babes Behaving Badly", which featured 10 women convicted of crimes.[9] Holberg is one of seven women on death row in Texas as of December 2023.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "death penalty news". Archived from the original on September 13, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  2. ^ Offender Information - Holberg, Brittany
  3. ^ a b Canyon jury asks for death penalty against Brittany Holberg Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Holberg v State Archived February 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Kanelis, John. "Holberg capital case still causing headaches" (Archive). News Channel 10. December 15, 2015. Updated December 21, 2015. Retrieved on February 14, 2016.
  6. ^ Brittany Holberg – Sworn Affidavit About Abuses In Texas Prisons Archived April 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Stepping Stones To Justice – Brittany Holberg on Bettie Beets Archived April 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b "death penalty news". Archived from the original on 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
  9. ^ "Babes Behaving Badly" Article on Maxim.com
  10. ^ "Death Row Information". tdcj.state.tx.us.