Bio

Gerald James Holland was born in Los Angeles, California. According to the Mississippi Supreme Court’s summary of his background, he grew up with his parents, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His father worked in electrical, mechanical, and general maintenance jobs, while his mother was a homemaker. During his teenage years, Holland moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee, where he completed high school and received a certificate of credits.

After leaving home at the age of 21, Holland supported himself through different types of work. Court records describe him as having worked in shoe sales, as a dental technician, and later in electrical work. He had more than 20 years of experience as an electrician and received some vocational training in that field. His adult life involved several moves, two marriages that ended in divorce, and five children.

Before the murder of Krystal King, Holland already had a criminal history. The Mississippi Supreme Court listed prior convictions for burglary, larceny involving auto theft, and rape of a child. He received a four-year prison sentence in Texas for the rape conviction but served about one year before being paroled in 1976. He later moved to Gulfport, Mississippi, in 1981.

By 1986, Holland was living in Gulfport and doing contract work. Around June or July of that year, his second wife had left him and taken their child with her. Holland was sharing his residence with 21-year-old Jerry Douglas, who later became a key witness in the case. Douglas had introduced Holland to Krystal King before the murder.

Murder Story

On the evening of September 11, 1986, Krystal King was at the Biloxi Beach Arcade when she met a friend, Willie Boyer. The two spent time at the arcade and later went to the beach. After midnight, Krystal asked Boyer to drive her to a house on Burton Avenue in Gulfport. The house belonged to Gerald James Holland, who was known as “Jerry.”

Boyer and Krystal stayed at the house for several hours. Court records state that they watched television and listened as Holland talked about his divorce. Holland had been drinking that night, but Boyer later said Holland did not appear drunk during the visit. Around 2:30 a.m., Boyer left the house, while Krystal stayed behind. That was the last time Boyer saw her alive.

Later that morning, between about 3:20 and 3:30 a.m., Holland’s roommate, Jerry Douglas, woke up after hearing a noise. Douglas saw lights on inside the house and the front door open. He later testified that he saw Holland outside near what appeared to be an object on the ground. Douglas then saw Holland place the object into the back of his pickup truck. When Holland returned inside, Douglas said Holland appeared shaken and admitted that Krystal had been killed.

Holland gave changing explanations to Douglas about what had happened. According to Douglas’s testimony, Holland first claimed that Krystal had been handling a hunting knife and that he had stabbed her while taking it away. He later gave another version, saying she had fallen onto the knife while they were on the bed. Douglas also testified that Holland said he had altered the body to hide the stab wounds and make the crime appear to have been committed by someone else.

Douglas said Holland forced him to help dispose of Krystal’s body. The body was taken to a remote area and buried. Douglas later contacted Gulfport police and gave information to homicide detectives. Based on his statement, investigators obtained arrest and search warrants. At about 11:20 a.m. on September 12, 1986, a Gulfport Police Department SWAT unit entered Holland’s home, arrested him, and advised him of his rights.

After his arrest, Holland spoke with detectives and gave a recorded statement. He again claimed that Krystal had been holding a knife and that he had tried to take it from her before she was stabbed. Holland then accompanied detectives to the burial site, where Krystal’s body was recovered.

An autopsy by Dr. Paul McGarry found that Krystal had suffered extensive injuries. The medical findings showed injuries consistent with sexual assault, beating, stabbing, ligature strangulation, and airway obstruction caused by clothing being forced into her throat. The cause of death was asphyxiation from the ligature around her neck and the obstruction of her airway. The stab wound contributed to her death, but the medical examiner concluded she likely died from the asphyxiation.

On November 17, 1986, a Harrison County grand jury indicted Holland for killing Krystal King with malice aforethought while engaged in the commission of rape. He was later re-indicted as a habitual offender. His trial began on November 30, 1987, in Adams County after a change of venue. After a twelve-day trial, the jury found him guilty of capital murder and sentenced him to death.

Holland appealed. On September 11, 1991, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed his conviction but vacated the death sentence. The court found a problem with the sentencing phase because the first jury had prematurely indicated a death sentence before hearing all penalty-phase evidence and legal instructions. The case was sent back for a new sentencing hearing.

A new sentencing jury again imposed the death penalty on April 3, 1993. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the second death sentence on September 11, 1997. In later post-conviction proceedings, Holland continued to challenge parts of the case, but the Mississippi Supreme Court denied relief in 2004. Federal habeas proceedings also failed, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of relief on September 18, 2009. 

On May 20, 2010, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour denied clemency, and Holland’s final appeal was denied by the United States Supreme Court. Holland was executed by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. He was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. At 72 years old, he was reported as Mississippi’s oldest death-row inmate at the time of his execution.