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Lawyer says Holly is ‘scared’

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

Detectives have theorized that Carl and Sarah Collier were killed because they kept their granddaughter, Holly Ann Harvey, away from her girlfriend Sandy Ketchum.

While they were united during that confrontation and the following escape to Tybee Island Aug. 2 and 3, Holly and Sandy have taken different paths since their arrests, which came less than 24 hours after the killings.

Sandy, who wept openly at Thursday’s court hearing, is cooperating with the probe led by sheriff’s detectives. Holly, however, is not, and she showed little if any emotion at last week’s hearing, according to three Citizen reporters who were present in the courtroom.

The two lovers, charged with murder, will be in court again next Thursday at a bond hearing before Superior Court Judge Paschal A. English.

Holly’s attorney, Judy Chidester, said Holly has been very emotional during interviews whenever the conversation steers to Holly’s grandparents or Holly’s mom, who currently is in prison on felony drug charges.

Her attorney’s description contrasts with the picture of a cold-blooded killer painted by chief sheriff’s detective Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan, who said Holly was emotionless during her arrest until she laughed at the large contingent of police officers who had come to the Tybee Island home where she and Sandy were tracked down, staying overnight at the home of two boys they had befriended on the beach the night before.

Chidester said Holly has asked her several times, “Does everybody in the world hate me?”

“She is very frightened, very upset, very scared and very emotional,” Chidester said. “She seems to be genuinely distraught and remorseful. She appears to me to be a terrified 15-year-old.”

Several people have contacted Chidester to express concern for Holly, including a person claiming to be a chaplain at the prison where Holly’s mom is incarcerated. The man wanted to know how Carla Jane Harvey could get in contact with her daughter. Chidester asked for a letter so she can authenticate the story before proceeding, she said.

“I don’t expect there to be a lot of cheerleaders at her side,” Chidester said, adding that Holly has had a difficult family life.

Chidester said Holly apparently had a tumultuous relationship with her mother, Carla Jane Harvey, who is currently in prison serving a three-year sentence on a felony charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

As Carla headed back to prison, an effort to have Holly live with her step-dad and half-sister was rebuked, Chidester said. Carla Harvey also made arrangements for Holly to stay with family friends for a period of time, Chidester said.

Holly’s dad has been out of the picture for some time, but Chidester is trying to resurrect that bond through her uncle, Chidester said.

“Any time I try to talk about her mom or her grandparents, she starts to weep and breaks down,” Chidester said. Chidester said Holly seems to understand most of their conversations, but she sometimes gives her attorney “that look of a typical 15-year-old and I think to myself, ‘Does she really understand?’”

Lloyd Walker, Sandy’s attorney, said the older girl has been raised by her father, Tim Ketchum, and her step-mom with “a lot of support from her aunt.”

“Her mother has not had a significant presence in her life,” Walker said.

Walker said District Attorney Bill McBroom could decide to try Sandy and Holly as juveniles, but such a bid is unlikely to be fruitful. Walker noted that the two victims were long-time Fayette County residents

“I could always ask him to do that, but I do not expect it to happen,” Walker said, adding that he expects the same stance from new District Attorney Scott Ballard, who will take office Jan. 1.

Even if Sandy and Holly were tried as juveniles, Georgia law indicates the trial must still be conducted in superior court, Walker noted. They will not face the death penalty, however, because they were juveniles when the crime was committed.

Walker also denounced the news media’s use of “experts” to analyze the case and the potential motives for the killings. Such professionals don’t have access to all the facts of the case upon which to make a solid decision, Walker noted.

“I understand that everybody wants to know why this happened,” Walker said. Such “uninformed speculation on behalf of experts is counterproductive,” Walker added.

The next direction for the case will likely involve the procurement of mental evaluations for both Sandy and Holly. Given the emotional profile of Holly painted by Fayette County’s chief detective, Holly’s mental status could play a significant role in a potential trial if a plea bargain is not worked out.

Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan said last week that Holly was “cold-blooded” and actually laughed at the large number of police officers who came to the Tybee Island home where she and Sandy stayed overnight, hours after the killings.

“It almost made her giddy to know we had brought that many people to arrest her,” Jordan said.

Sandy, however, is cooperating with detectives on the case, Jordan said.

Walker said Sandy was “very upset and very remorseful about this whole situation.”

At Thursday’s court hearing, where Sandy and Holly were advised of their rights, Sandy sobbed and cried in open court. As she left the courtroom, Sandy turned to glance at relatives in an apparent search for a familiar face.

She was clearly upset at the predicament she faced, a contrast to Holly who appeared to keep her emotions in check throughout the entire hearing and when she left the courtroom, handcuffed and wearing a bulletproof jacket.