Bio

Robert Wayne Holsey was born in 1965. Before the killing of Deputy Sheriff Will Robinson, Holsey already had a criminal record. During the sentencing phase of his murder case, the jury found as one aggravating circumstance that he had been previously convicted of a capital felony. Older crime summaries also state that he had been on parole less than a year after convictions for assault and armed robbery, but the safest court-supported wording is that his prior criminal history was used as part of the aggravating evidence in the death-penalty case.

By December 1995, Holsey was in Milledgeville, Georgia. The case against him began with an armed robbery at the Jet Food Store shortly before 1:30 a.m. on December 17, 1995. The robbery quickly led to the traffic stop and shooting that became the basis of his capital murder conviction.

Murder Story

Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on December 17, 1995, Robert Wayne Holsey entered the Jet Food Store in Milledgeville, Georgia, with a gun. He demanded money from the store clerk and took cash from the register. He then ordered the clerk to open the store’s lottery machine. Although he directed the clerk into a back room, the clerk was able to see him leave in a small red car and immediately called police with a description of both Holsey and the vehicle.

Less than four minutes after Holsey left the store, Baldwin County Deputy Sheriff Will Robinson stopped a red Ford Probe at a nearby motel. Robinson radioed the vehicle’s license plate number before approaching the car. As he approached, Holsey fired. Forensic evidence later showed that Robinson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Several motel guests saw a person matching Holsey’s description return to the red Ford Probe and drive away. Police found the vehicle and pursued it, but Holsey avoided immediate capture. A witness who knew Holsey personally later testified that she saw the red Ford Probe and recognized him.

After the shooting, Holsey called his girlfriend and asked her to meet him at his sister’s house. He told her to drive a blue Jeep Cherokee instead of a red vehicle because police were looking for a red Ford Probe. When she arrived, Holsey was hiding behind a fence. He had her drive him past the murder scene, then directed her back through side roads to his sister’s house. He also told her to park behind the red Ford Probe to hide its license plate.

A law enforcement officer soon arrived and checked the red Ford Probe. The license plate matched the number Deputy Robinson had radioed before the shooting. When Holsey exited the Jeep quickly, the officer drew his weapon and ordered him to raise his hands. Holsey did not immediately comply and appeared to be looking for a way to escape. After the officer threatened to shoot, Holsey raised his hands and was ordered to lie on the ground.

Within minutes, the chief deputy arrived and confirmed that the license plate on the Probe matched Robinson’s radio call. Officers also found a fresh bullet hole in the back of the Probe. People inside the residence told investigators that Holsey had borrowed the vehicle that night. Less than 15 minutes after Holsey was first detained, the chief deputy asked his name and placed him under arrest.

Investigators later found clothing nearby that matched the description of the armed robbery suspect’s clothing. Shoes removed from Holsey after his arrest matched witness descriptions from both the robbery and the murder. A blood sample from one shoe was later found through DNA analysis to be consistent with Deputy Robinson’s blood.

Holsey was indicted by a Baldwin County grand jury on January 8, 1996, for malice murder, felony murder, and armed robbery. The state filed notice on January 12, 1996, that it intended to seek the death penalty. After Holsey requested a change of venue, the case was transferred to Morgan County Superior Court.

His trial began on February 1, 1997. On February 11, 1997, the jury found him guilty on all counts. The felony murder conviction was later vacated by operation of law, while the malice murder and armed robbery convictions remained. On February 13, 1997, the jury fixed the sentence for malice murder at death. The court also imposed life imprisonment without parole for the armed robbery.

The jury found four statutory aggravating circumstances: Holsey had a previous capital felony conviction; the murder was committed while he was engaged in another capital felony; the murder was committed to avoid, interfere with, or prevent lawful arrest; and the victim was a peace officer performing official duties.

On December 2, 1999, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Holsey’s convictions and death sentence. The United States Supreme Court denied review on June 19, 2000. Holsey then filed state habeas proceedings. In 2006, the state habeas court vacated his death sentence based on ineffective-assistance claims, but on February 26, 2007, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed that decision and reinstated the death sentence.

Holsey later pursued federal habeas relief. The federal district court denied relief on July 2, 2009. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied relief on September 13, 2012, and the United States Supreme Court denied review on June 10, 2013.

In late 2014, Holsey’s attorneys continued trying to stop the execution, including arguments related to Georgia’s legal standard for proving intellectual disability. The Georgia Supreme Court denied a stay on December 9, 2014, and also denied his request to appeal a Butts County court order dismissing that challenge.

Holsey requested a final meal of eight pieces of fried chicken. He was executed by lethal injection on December 9, 2014, at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia. Authorities reported that he was pronounced dead at 10:51 p.m.