Kriti Mehrotra
It was September 11, 2016, when an entire family crumbled as April and Michael Holton were found murdered in the latter’s home not long after their divorce was finalized. As explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: 11 Minutes,’ it was their eldest who had run to a neighbor’s to report a fight between their parents, just for it to be too late by the time they arrived at the scene. What’s strange, though, is that deputies had left Michael’s place merely 11 minutes before the fateful 911 call after having been called by him to ask about how they could have their eldest, Madison, stand before a judge, as they were worried he was going down the wrong path.
April and Michael Holton Were Found in The Latter’s Bedroom
April Owenby Holton was just a teenager when she first came across Michael Holton in high school in the small town of Eclectic, Alabama, just for them to soon fall head over heels in love. The couple tied the knot not long after graduation, eventually settling down and welcoming three sons into their world: Madison Holton, Hayden Holton, and Kyle Holton. Born on December 24, 1978, April was a member of First Baptist Church of Eclectic since her childhood, where she was active in serving her community, but she was primarily a full-time stay-at-home mother once her kids were born.
As for Michael, he was born as Jesse Michael Holton on June 3, 1979, and was also a member of First Baptist Church of Eclectic. On a professional level, he served in the National Guard before evolving into a firefighter, certified fire instructor, and paramedic until he was appointed the Chief of the Eclectic Fire Department. Then, in 2012, he became the Mayor of Eclectic for two years, following which he dedicated most of his time to coaching Little League football and baseball teams. But alas, things changed for him in the summer of 2016 as his wife filed for divorce, allegedly because time had taken its toll on their marriage, and there was a distance between them that they couldn’t remove.
According to reports, Michael wasn’t happy about the separation and divorce, yet they were able to finalize the proceedings rather amicably and then only stayed in touch for their children. So, when Michael called April on September 11, 2016, because their eldest had thrown a party at his home when he was away for some work, she went there. They even called the local sheriff’s department to talk about their options before the latter left at 9:48 am, unaware their neighbor would call them again at 9:59, reporting gunshots. By the time officials arrived, Michael was dead with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, whereas April was barely breathing with wounds to the head and the arm. She was immediately transported to a local hospital, only to be pronounced dead at 11 am the next day.
April and Michael Holton’s Death Were Initially Considered a Homicide
Because of the defensive wounds on April’s arms and the fact that Michael’s autopsy deemed his death a homicide since the entry point of the gunshot wound to his head was at the back, officials investigated the matter as such. Their prime suspect was none other than the former couple’s eldest son, since he was the only one at the house apart from them, but he has always maintained he never hurt his parents. While investigators came to believe that he killed his parents in a fit of rage after hearing about how they wanted him to stand in court before a judge as a juvenile, he maintained it was his father who was responsible. He claimed that after the deputy had left, Michael had called his ex into his room.
According to Madison’s accounts, he heard his mother screaming “help” about five minutes later, so he jumped up and ran to the nearest neighbor’s house, around 200 feet away, asking for help. He also asserted he never heard the gunshots while running or after he had arrived at the neighbor’s place, but the police debunked this possibility by actually testing it out using the same gun on site. As if that’s not enough, investigators also became confident about him being responsible, owing to his strange behavior in the aftermath of it all. As per their reports, instead of being sad about losing his parents, he was more concerned about school, homecoming, and what his female classmates were thinking of this whole situation.
Therefore, less than a week later, Madison was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder in relation to the deaths of his parents, shortly following which his bond was set at a combined $1 million. He subsequently spent 15 months behind bars before one of his maternal uncles, a former police officer, was able to bond him out because he, like the rest of the family, wholeheartedly believed that he couldn’t have killed his parents. They knew he was falling into the wrong sort of crowd and was getting more into drugs and partying, but they never once believed he could fire a weapon at his parents in a fit of rage.
April and Michael Holton’s Case Remains Unsolved
As per the investigations done by April’s family and Madison’s attorney, there is no evidence that incriminates him. Apart from the fact that he asked for a polygraph test not once or twice but several times, only to never be taken in to take one, there was no forensic evidence against him. There was no blood spatter on his clothes, DNA evidence, or anything else that pointed towards him killing his parents. On the other hand, Michael had scratch marks on his wife, and his ex-wife had his DNA under her fingernails. Plus, his diary made it clear that he had suicidal ideations in the weeks leading up to the fateful day, all of which stemmed from his divorce – he had written that he couldn’t go on if he ever saw her with someone else.
Furthermore, as per Michael’s autopsy reports, he had a mix of drugs in his system at the time of the incident, which allegedly could have also played a role in his actions, per Madison’s defense. So, their theory was that this was a case of a murder suicide – the former mayor killed his wife following a brief altercation before turning the weapon on himself. As for how they justified the entry point being at the back of his head, according to a former FBI agent, the weapon used in this case is rather small, so it wouldn’t have been hard for him to place it at the back of his head himself.
Furthermore, there is also the significant point that Madison was handcuffed throughout this ordeal. His father had actually placed him in handcuffs in tough love as a lesson before he had called the police for the house party incident, and when the officials had arrived after 10 am, he was still in handcuffs. Officials believe he slipped out of them to kill his parents before slipping right back into them during this period, but it seemed highly improbable. So, in the end, the District Attorney’s office dismissed the charges against Madison, but they did so without prejudice, meaning that they can indict him again if they ever find any more related evidence against him. So, April and Michael’s case remains wide open to this day.
Read More: Madison Holton: Where is the Wrongly Convicted Now?
