A North Carolina man, aged 31, has been apprehended following his alleged involvement in the murder of a 67-year-old woman. The woman was reportedly on her way to meet the man for a transaction arranged through an online marketplace. Troy Marquise Gillard was arrested on Wednesday and is facing charges of first-degree murder in the death of Kathryn Garton Holmes, as per the announcement made by the authorities.
Gillard’s charges extend beyond murder. He is also accused of robbery with a firearm or dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm into occupied property, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and being a fugitive from justice, according to the records.
On May 24, the Greensboro Police Department responded to a call about a possible shooting and car crash on Denny Road, approximately 95 miles northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon arrival, they discovered Holmes’ car in a ditch, with Holmes appearing to have sustained a gunshot wound to the neck.
Holmes was rushed to a hospital, but unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries two days later. The police revealed that Holmes had traveled to the Denny Road location for a transaction arranged through an online marketplace, where she was allegedly shot by Gillard. The specifics of the transaction, including what Gillard had agreed to buy, remain unclear.
As per a report from a Fox affiliate in High Point, North Carolina, Holmes was driving her 2022 Volkswagen Toas SUV when she was shot in the neck, resulting in paralysis. This led to her inability to remove her foot from the accelerator, causing the car to crash into the ditch.
The arrest warrant, as obtained by the News & Record, stated that Gillard had stolen Holmes’ engagement ring and wedding band, valued at $10,515. Shortly after the shooting, a suspicious individual was reported entering an unoccupied house near the shooting site. Although the house was found to be empty, investigators linked Gillard to the property through family connections.
The Greensboro Police’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, in collaboration with the Winston-Salem Police Department, located and arrested Gillard on Wednesday. This is not Gillard’s first encounter with the law. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to a count of first-degree felony carjacking, as per court records.
Gillard is currently being held in the Guilford County Jail without bond and is due to appear in court on Oct. 1. If found guilty, he could face life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty.