Almost 25 since the murder of Sherry Holtz, Florida police have finally arrested the man believed to be responsible.
Holtz’s former boyfriend Gary Durrance was taken into custody on Thursday, and booked into the Seminole County Jail on a charge of second-degree homicide, reported NBC News.
The development came after the case was reopened in May 2023, and DNA evidence was resubmitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The results ultimately showed that blood found on the murder weapon matched that of Durrance.
Holtz, a resident of Sanford, Fla., was found dead in a wooded area on Dec. 4, 1999, said police spokesperson Bianca Gillett, during a Friday press conference.
Describing a grizzly scene, Gillet noted that authorities found her with her throat cut and her clothes removed, “exposing most of her body.” Evidence of sexual battery and blunt force trauma were also apparent in the “brutal homicide,”Gillet added.
Holtz was 50 years old at the time of her death and had been living with Durrance and three other roommates.
A bloody knife was found near her body during the investigation, but the sample size was too small in those years to lead to a conclusive identification.
During the initial questioning, it was determined that Holtz and Durrance had an argument which led him to kick her out of their home the day before the murder.
Roommates told police that Durrance was home the night Holtz was killed but could not account for his whereabouts for the entire evening.
Between 1996 and 1999, Sanford police had also responded to several domestic violence incidents involving the couple,
Now, authorities believe Durrance is the sole suspect and say that after his arrest, he admitted to his involvement in Holtz’s killing.
“We are absolutely positive that the right man is behind bars,” Gillett said.
