Brittany Holberg
Encyclopedia
Brittany Marlowe Holberg (born January 1, 1973) is a woman currently on death row
in the U.S. state of Texas
. On Friday, March 27, 1998, Holberg was convicted of the November 13, 1996, robbery
and murder
of 80-year-old A.B. Towery Sr. in his southwest Amarillo
home, and was sentenced to death by 251st state District Judge Patrick Pirtle. The victim had been stabbed nearly 60 times with such weapons as a 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.
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 drug-abusing prostitute and fled to Tennessee
. Testimony showed that A.B. Towery, the victim, also had a problem with drugs.
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.
system, and has called for better conditions for prisoners. In a 2001 letter written to the Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Holberg said,
.
In 2003, Holberg was interviewed by Ms. magazine about her life. She had married as a teenager and in 1993 gave birth to daughter Mackenzie, who now lives with her father in Tulsa. At the age of 20, Brittany moved back to Amarillo, her hometown, and subsequently fell in with a bad crowd. She became hooked on drugs and became a sex worker to support herself. In a Dallas Morning Star account, Brittany 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. Holberg was caught with drugs and was released from state custody after completion of a substance abuse felony punishment program on September 1, 1996. Holberg had also once been gang raped, severely beaten and cut with a knife; she was hospitalized after the incident.
Holberg's most recent media mention was in a January 2007 Maxim
magazine article titled "Babes Behaving Badly", which featured ten women convicted of crimes. Holberg is one of only ten women currently sentenced to death in Texas.
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. On Friday, March 27, 1998, Holberg was convicted of the November 13, 1996, robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of 80-year-old A.B. Towery Sr. in his southwest Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
home, and was sentenced to death by 251st state District Judge Patrick Pirtle. The victim had been stabbed nearly 60 times with such weapons as a paring knife, a butcher knife
Butcher knife
A butcher knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.During the late 18th century to mid 1840s, the butcher knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food,...
, a grapefruit knife and a fork
Fork
As a piece of cutlery or kitchenware, a fork is a tool consisting of a handle with several narrow tines on one end. The fork, as an eating utensil, has been a feature primarily of the West, whereas in East Asia chopsticks have been more prevalent...
. He also suffered blunt trauma to the head from a hammer
Hammer
A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
, and a foot-long lamp pole had been shoved more than five inches (127 mm) down his throat.
Murder Trial
Holberg was working as a prostitute and was hired by Towery. During the trial, defense attorney Catherine Brown Dodson argued that Towery was wrongly portrayed as an innocent elderly man, and that Holberg acted in self-defense when Towery attacked her. Dodson said A.B. Towery became angry and violent when he found a crack pipe on Holberg. She told the juryJury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
that Towery struck Holberg twice in the head with a metal pan while her back was turned, and then threatened her with a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
. 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
Legal recourse
A legal recourse is an action that can be taken by an individual or a corporation to attempt to remedy a legal difficulty.* A lawsuit if the issue is a matter of civil law* Many contracts require mediation or arbitration before a dispute can go to court...
because of her status as a drug-abusing prostitute and fled to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Testimony showed that A.B. Towery, the victim, also had a problem with drugs.
Holberg filed an appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
in the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in the State of Texas, United States. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge and eight judges....
(No. 73,127), but on November 29, 2000, the appeals court upheld the decision of the trial court.
Personal life
Holberg had spoken out about the death penalty, has talked of abuse in the Texas Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
system, and has called for better conditions for prisoners. 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 a.m., and we never leave the building - or our cells for that matter.She has also written on behalf of other prisoners, such as a 62-year-old grandmother named Betty Lou Beets
Betty Lou Beets
Betty Lou Beets was a murderer executed in the U.S. state of Texas. She was convicted of shooting her fifth husband, Jimmy Don Beets, on August 6, 1983.-Early life:...
.
In 2003, Holberg was interviewed by Ms. magazine about her life. She had married as a teenager and in 1993 gave birth to daughter Mackenzie, who now lives with her father in Tulsa. At the age of 20, Brittany moved back to Amarillo, her hometown, and subsequently fell in with a bad crowd. She became hooked on drugs and became a sex worker to support herself. In a Dallas Morning Star account, Brittany 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. Holberg was caught with drugs and was released from state custody after completion of a substance abuse felony punishment program on September 1, 1996. Holberg had also once been gang raped, severely beaten and cut with a knife; she was hospitalized after the incident.
Holberg's most recent media mention was in a January 2007 Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
magazine article titled "Babes Behaving Badly", which featured ten women convicted of crimes. Holberg is one of only ten women currently sentenced to death in Texas.