Transcript Criminal Profile: Brittany Holberg

Criminal Profile:
Brittany Holberg
Background Information
• Grew up with “hippie drugster” parents in
Texas
• First exposed to drugs at age 13 or 14
• Married as a teenager
• In 1993, she gave birth to her daughter
• At age 20, she moved back to her home town
• She fell into the wrong crowd and began
using drugs
• Became a prostitute to support herself
• Was once raped, severely eaten and cut with
a knife; hospitalized after this incident
Previous law trouble
• She was exposed to drugs at a young
age
• Stole prescription medication from
dentist offices with her aunt
• Caught with drugs and released from
state custody after completing a
substance abuse punishment program in
September 1996
Most Recent Crime
•
•
•
•
•
Prostitution, robbery, murder
Date of murder November 13, 1996
She was 23 at the time of the crime
1 victim- 80 year old A.B Towery Sr.
Victim was struck with a hammer and stabber
nearly 60 times. Weapons used were a
paring knife, a butcher knife, a grapefruit
knife, and a fork. A lamp pole had been
shoved more than 5 inches down the victims
throat.
• She also robbed him
Evidence
• Physical evidence including murder
weapons
• Testimony of the cab driver, the
apartment manager, the police, the
neighbor, and the unsuspecting couple
who drove her from the apartment
complex
• Her own written confession of the
murder
Sentence
• Evaded law enforcement for three months
• Arrested on February 17, 1997
• Sentenced to death on March 27, 1998
Quotes
• Holberg had spoken out about the death penalty and
has called for better conditions for prisoners.
• “Just two weeks ago, we were informed that not
only would we be strip-searched for our one hour
of recreation a day, but also when taken for a
shower. So for the last two weeks, we have been
stripped no less than six times a day, and our
cells have been completely ransacked. This is
every day, sometimes at times like 2:30 and 3
a.m., and we never leave the building - or our
cells for that matter”
Theory
•
•
•
I believe that Holberg would be categorized under the Social Deviance group of
Differential- Association Theory. Her behavior was largely determined by the people
around her. She describes being brought up by “hippie drugsters” so she was
influenced by drugs starting very early in life. After being married as a teenager, she
left her husband and returned to her hometown. She began hanging out with the
wrong crowd in her twenties. During this time, she fell into hard drugs. The night she
brutally murdered AB Towery, she was working as a prostitute. In addition to killing
the man she also robbed him because she needed money for drugs. In fact, after
leaving the victims home, she went to a crack house, found a drug buddy, and spent
the night in a hotel with hundreds of dollars worth of cocaine.
At a young age, she was introduced to drugs which constantly caused her problems.
She had been in trouble with the law for drug use but was released from state custody
after completion of a substance abuse felony punishment program. She became a
prostitute to pay for her drug habits and even admitted to scamming prescription
drugs from dentists with her aunt. She had been associated with drugs and
influenced to do them and steal them by the people around her since she was young.
Prison or Rehabilitation?
• I do not believe that Brittany Holberg should be
rehabilitated. Even though she has a drug addiction, I
do not think therapy would help her. She had completed
a substance abuse felony punishment program previous
to murdering the elderly man. But, she was still using
drugs and it had a very strong influence on her life. I
would even go as far as saying that her addiction to
drugs and need for money was her motive to kill Towery.
I think that her punishment from the court is appropriate
and that she should receive the death penalty because
of her gruesome crime.
•