Sunday, May 12, 2013

Dakota Holt Guilty of Aggravated Manslaughter


It was Sunday, June 3, 2012. Dylan Wayne Milam, 13, and another youth who also attended Colbert County High School were visiting at the home of Dakota Holt, also 13. The argument started out innocently enough; Holt showed his companions a photo of a girl he liked. Dylan, someone either too young or too inexperienced to censor his thoughts, blurted out, "But she's fat."



Dakota Holt was not one given to self-control. He had previously beaten up his biological father, and many of his family and friends were already afraid of him. In a fit of rage, Holt slapped Dylan. Surprised by his companion's reaction, Dylan then slugged Holt. The fight ended...for a short while.


Later the youths began a round of target practice. After some time, the youths returned to Dakota Holt's home at 320 Hatton School Road to take a break. An adult supervising the youths, reportedly Dakota's mother Alicia Holt, left the boys alone. Here the story becomes more nebulous.

Holt originally told investigators that the group was leaving the home at around 9:00 p.m. to return to target practice when the gun he was holding accidentally discharged, hitting Dylan in the neck. An adult, either Holt's mother or her live-in boyfriend, a convicted drug dealer, corroborated the boy's story.

Colbert County investigators soon began to realize the testimony and facts in the case were not backing up Holt's version of events. While all the details may never be known, investigators believe they have pieced together the pertinent, and damning, facts in the case.

Dakota Holt pointed the gun at Dylan, asking him if he was scared and telling him to run for his life. Dylan made it to the front door before Holt fired the .22 rifle and shot him dead. Holt was not charged until the next Thursday, and neither his mother Alicia Holt nor her drug-dealer squeeze were ever charged with giving false testimony or impeding a police investigation.

After almost one year, the majority of it spent with his family in Leighton, Dakota Holt will tomorrow face a judge for the next to last time. Sources say the now 14 year-old will plead to aggravated manslaughter and be remanded into state custody until the age of 21. His sentence won't be official until a later date.

It may not be total justice, but no one can offer that. At least the Shoals area will be rid of the smirking, simpering sociopath that is Dakota Holt until 2020.



Shoalanda

11 comments:

  1. What is state custody though ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. We understand that once the hearing is over tomorrow, he will be returned to the Juvenile Detention Center to await sentencing. After that, he will be ready to be shipped to Mt. Meigs for juvenile offenders to remain until he's 21.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another child killing a child, yeah Shoalanda blame everything you can and everyone you can except what the REAL problem is; the need for GUN control!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're pretty sure .22 rifles aren't going to be covered in any current plans for "gun control."

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah blame the gun. Where were the parents? Gone or selling drugs! Once the parents left the gun should've been locked up. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. The boy deserves his punishment. You can't blame the .22 it didn't fire itself.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You stated all the facts may never be known.......and that is the truth. All of it will not be known. So before we condemn a child maybe we should learn all the facts. Maybe we should learn how that child was raised, what he was put through in his short life, and why a group of young boys who do not know how to deal with emotions and hormones, were left all alone with guns. I don't know the details, I'm terribly sorry a young child lost his life, and I'm sorry that another young child is going to loose a span of his life by being locked up. I do however, feel that we need to be teaching our children better. We need to be supervising them better. This should have never had a chance to happen because they should have had adults there the entire time. Its one thing for young boys to have a fist fight. Its a totally different story for guns to be involved. But unfortunately I see it everyday with my job. These children that we aren't teaching now are the futures of our community and it scares me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are extremely profound words. I understand that after the Dakota beat up his father, the father was no longer in his life. The mother was living with a dope dealer. The boy had very few chances in life; yet, some do come through these problems and live productive lives. BTW, Dylan's father had been in a loving married relationship with Dylan's mother, but he had sadly passed away.

      Delete
  8. You know if parents would start disciplining thier kids, all this crap would stop. The ass whoopings that I got and people my age didn't hurt anyone. Now parents let their kids do as they please, and a lot of kids are disrespectful, thugs, JUNKIES, thieves and murderer's. Parent's get a grip on your kids, they will bully the wrong child and they will be the one who dies. Its all over TV where kids are starting to take up for themselves and its not a good ending for the bullies.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Just for the record i am dakota this isnt the true story look up gary mcclung thats the kid who lied we bever argued avout a girl at all nir would steve benson pull finger prints i never loaded or aimed the gun at all shialslanda is a liar i know for a fact she buys meth he also is on meth it truly was a accident gary mcclung loaded the gun an cocked it ive made a good life for myslef he been in an out if jail more than u can count so how bout shuttin the fuck up

    ReplyDelete