A hearing for a post-trial motion for convicted murderer Brian Holliman of Caledonia is scheduled this month in Lowndes County Circuit Court.
Holliman, 28, of Caledonia, was found guilty Dec. 4 of the murder of his wife, Laura-Lee Godfrey Holliman, whose body was found in the bedroom of the Holliman residence on Oct. 25, 2008.
A jury deliberated for an hour and a half before they rendered the guilty verdict.
District Attorney Forrest Allgood, who prosecuted the case, and Holliman”s attorney, Steve Farese of Ashland, are scheduled to appear before Judge J. Lee Howard on Feb. 25 to present their sides.
Allgood said this is a standard procedure for the defense attorney to take this matter.
“This is done especially where the defense wants to attempt to appeal the case,” he said.
Following the four-day trial, Farese said he would appeal the verdict, and would file post-trial motions. He said post-trial motions will consist of a request of a “judgment notwithstanding the jury”s verdict, commonly known as JNOV.”
The motion would ask the judge to overrule the jury”s decision, based upon errors the judge allowed during the trial.
One of the issues Farese said he plans to bring up in he post-trial motion is change of venue in the case, which Howard denied on Nov. 30 when jury selection for the trail began.
Farese had filed a change of venue motion in August, arguing that Holliman could not receive a fair trial in Lowndes County because of pretrial publicity. Howard decided to let the juror-vetting process determine whether or not to move the trial.
During the trial, Allgood argued Holliman was enraged that his wife wanted to leave him. The defense, led by attorney Steve Farese, argued that Laura Holliman was suicidal and the 12-gauge shotgun went off accidentally as the couple argued.
The February session of Lowndes County Circuit Court is scheduled to begin Monday as Howard and Judge James T. Kitchens will preside over a three-week session which includes numerous burglary, grand larceny, and other criminal and civil-related activities.
The three-week session is scheduled to conclude Feb. 26.
Allen Baswell was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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