Bio

Erik Wayne Hollie was born on October 1, 1984. His birthdate was confirmed in the Mississippi Supreme Court record through an affidavit read into the trial-court record during the penalty proceedings. Before the murder of Denmon Ward, Hollie was involved in a separate robbery-related incident at a BP gas station in Georgetown, Mississippi. According to the Mississippi Supreme Court, on September 5, 2009, Hollie got into an argument about religion with Lalit Patel, an employee at the gas station. The following day, September 6, 2009, Hollie returned to the business, had another confrontation with Patel, displayed a knife, took cigarettes, and left with about $30 worth of gasoline.

The BP gas station robbery became legally important in Hollie’s later capital-murder case. The state charged him with armed robbery in that incident and also charged him with capital murder for the killing of Denmon Ward. The armed robbery charge was later used as part of the state’s case during the death-penalty proceedings.

Court records also show that questions about Hollie’s mental condition became part of the case before his guilty pleas were accepted. After counsel was appointed, his attorney requested a mental examination to determine whether Hollie was competent to stand trial and whether he was legally insane at the time of the crimes. The trial court ordered an examination, but no competency hearing was held before Hollie pleaded guilty.

Murder Story

On September 8, 2009, Erik Wayne Hollie entered Wesson Pawn & Gun in Wesson, Mississippi. The business was operated by 54-year-old Denmon Ward. According to the Mississippi Supreme Court, Hollie shot and killed Ward inside the pawn shop, took several handguns from the store, and left the scene.

News reports from the sentencing proceedings stated that Ward was shot multiple times. WLBT reported that Hollie shot Ward at least five times during the robbery of Ward’s Pawn Shop. The Daily Leader reported that forensic pathologist Dr. Bruce Levy testified that Ward had been struck by six bullets, including a gunshot to the head that appeared to have been fired after Ward was already face down on the floor.

The day after the killing, Hollie turned himself in to law enforcement. The Mississippi Supreme Court record states that after he was in custody, he confessed to killing Ward and also confessed to the armed robbery of Lalit Patel at the BP gas station. Hollie told authorities that he did not know why he had killed Ward, but he claimed he had been led to the pawn shop by “the Lord” and said Ward died because he did not follow “the Lord.”

During his statement to police, Hollie made several comments that raised concerns about his mental condition. The Mississippi Supreme Court noted that he referred to mental health issues, said he was “fed up with life,” and said police could kill him. He also told officers that he had gone to the police department to turn himself in or die, and at one point asked officers to shoot him.

A grand jury later indicted Hollie for the armed robbery of Lalit Patel and for the capital murder of Denmon Ward. The capital-murder indictment alleged that Hollie killed Ward while engaged in the commission of armed robbery.

After counsel was appointed, Hollie’s attorney requested a mental evaluation. The court ordered the examination, and Dr. Criss Lott conducted it and prepared a report. However, before the court held a competency hearing, Hollie pleaded guilty to both the armed robbery and the capital murder. The trial court accepted the guilty pleas without making a formal determination on Hollie’s competency or sanity.

On March 16, 2010, a Copiah County jury considered the penalty for the capital-murder case. Hollie did not present mitigating evidence and instructed his attorney not to put on a defense. After the jury received its instructions, Hollie addressed the panel and asked to be sentenced to death. The Daily Leader reported his statement as, “Let the Lord deal with me. Sentence me to death.” The Mississippi Supreme Court recorded the statement as, “I ask that you let the Lord deal with me and sentence me to death.”

The jury unanimously returned a death sentence after a little over an hour of deliberation. Circuit Judge Lamar Pickard sentenced Hollie to death and also imposed a 50-year sentence for armed robbery. The judgment of conviction and sentence were entered on March 16, 2010.

Hollie did not file a direct appeal or post-conviction motions on his own behalf. Because Mississippi law requires automatic review of death sentences, the case eventually came before the Mississippi Supreme Court. In January 2014, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office asked the state high court to set an execution date, but the court instead directed that the full case record be sent for review.

On September 24, 2015, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed the case. The court found that once the trial judge ordered a mental evaluation, a competency hearing was required before Hollie’s guilty pleas could be accepted. Because that hearing did not occur, the court vacated Hollie’s guilty pleas to armed robbery and capital murder, reversed his convictions, vacated his sentences, and remanded the matter to the trial court for a mental evaluation and competency hearing.

The Mississippi Supreme Court stated that if Hollie were found competent, he would be tried on both charges. If he were found incompetent, he would be committed to the Mississippi State Hospital or another appropriate mental health facility. No reliable source reviewed for this profile confirmed a later final conviction, resentencing, execution date, or renewed death sentence after the 2015 remand.