A 25-year-old man from Illinois will spend the rest of his life behind bars for a horrific crime that shocked the community. In 2022, Deundrea S. Holloway brutally killed his girlfriend, 22-year-old Liese A. Dodd, who was nearly eight months pregnant. He decapitated her inside her home and then threw her head into a dumpster.
On Friday, Madison County Circuit Court Associate Judge Neil Schroeder sentenced Holloway to 60 years in prison for the crime. Holloway had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, intentional homicide of an unborn child, and concealing a homicidal death. The punishment included 30 years for the murder, 20 years for the homicide of the unborn child, and 10 years for concealing the death, all to be served one after the other.
The road to justice was a long one. Holloway was initially found mentally unfit to stand trial and spent months receiving treatment in a state institution. Complicating matters further, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the killing of a mother and her unborn child couldn’t be treated as multiple murders for the purpose of a life sentence.
For Dodd’s family, this process has been excruciating. Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine expressed hope that the sentencing would bring some comfort and closure. He acknowledged how challenging the legal journey had been and commended the family for their incredible strength throughout.
The tragic story began on June 9, 2022, when officers from the Alton Police Department responded to a call at a home on the 3400 block of Bolivar Street in Alton, Illinois. Dodd’s mother, worried because she hadn’t heard from her daughter, went to check on her. What she found was horrifying: Liese’s headless body inside the home. Police later discovered her head in a dumpster outside the apartment.
The case left the Alton community shaken. Former Alton Police Chief Marcus Pulido described the crime as “beyond reprehensible.” He revealed that Holloway and Dodd had been in an on-and-off relationship for about two years before he committed the brutal act.
Dodd’s family had been preparing for a baby shower, scheduled for the end of June. Instead, they were faced with unimaginable grief. Pulido described Dodd as a mother-to-be whose life and dreams were cruelly taken away, calling Holloway a “savage monster” for the brutal crime.
Holloway will need to serve at least 52 years before he is eligible for release. For now, the sentencing brings some resolution to a painful chapter, but the scars left on Dodd’s family and the community will not heal easily.
