THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 19, 1995 TAG: 9510190356
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
Denise Holsinger wept in court Wednesday as she apologized to the families of four people she and her boyfriend murdered last year at the Witchduck Inn.
But her apologies and stories of childhood trauma and abuse fell on deaf ears. The family members were not moved. Nor was Judge John K. Moore, who sentenced Holsinger to the maximum - five life terms plus 23 years.
The family members exploded in anger after leaving the courtroom, calling Holsinger a liar and manipulator. Several said justice was not served, and called for changes in the law that would have allowed the death penalty for Holsinger.
The family members promised to fight her parole when she becomes eligible in 20 years.
``Lucky for me she's in jail because she owes me my husband's life and I will hold that my entire life,'' said Lanna Son, whose husband, LamVan Son, was murdered along with three friends and colleagues at the couple's tavern on June 30, 1994. Her young son, who was sleeping on a cot in a back office, was the only survivor.
``I tell him, `You've got to grow up to be a good boy the way your daddy wanted you to be.' That simple. That's all I tell him,'' Son said.
Holsinger and her boyfriend, Michael D. Clagett, were convicted in the execution-style slayings, in which three of the victims were forced to lie face-down on the floor and shot in the head, one by one. A jury recommended the death penalty for Clagett, who will be sentenced Monday.
Evidence showed that Holsinger, who had been fired from a job at the Witchduck Inn about a month earlier, engineered the robbery and slayings, fantasizing that the couple would be the next Bonnie and Clyde. She cleaned out the cash register while Clagett fired the gun.
``She's an evil person,'' Carolyn Cussins, mother of slain handyman Wendel G. ``J.R.'' Parrish Jr., said after the sentencing. ``God help her.''
Kevin Rounds, whose wife, Karen, also was slain, was angry at the length of time the trial took. Since Holsinger and Clagett confessed, Rounds said, the process should have been swift and uncomplicated.
Khadija Gren, sister of slain patron Abdelaziz Gren, agreed.
``We still can't move on,'' she said. ``Why did this take 16 months? First there was the tragedy, then we were tortured for months. We relive it every time we come to court. Maybe justice was served, but it wasn't right for us to suffer for so long.''
``She should have gone to death row,'' said Jim Garcia, another relative of Gren, his voice breaking. ``She took away a lot of dreams.'' Garcia opposes the ``trigger law'' in Virginia, which does not allow for the death penalty for an accessory in a murder.
The half-dozen family members who attended the sentencing were visibly angered by the testimony of Holsinger's psychiatrist and Holsinger's own statement just before sentencing.
Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Humphreys ridiculed Holsinger's numerous excuses in his arguments for the maximum penalty in what he called ``the most violent event that has occurred in the history of our young city.''
``It's not the victims' fault that Denise Holsinger had low self-esteem,'' Humphreys said as Holsinger wiped tears from her face with a tissue. ``But they are dead . . . executed by Michael Clagett while Denise cleaned out the cash register.''
Holsinger's doctor testified for nearly an hour about Holsinger's tormented past. Among the points:
She was raped at 17 and contracted chlamydia.
She is an alcoholic who has abused methamphetamines, marijuana, barbiturates and synthetic narcotics.
She has tried to commit suicide three times.
She is clinically depressed and hallucinates, tormented by the voice of Michael Clagett.
She has bulimia.
She weighed 274 pounds before having her stomach stapled in 1992, then she dropped to about 130 pounds.
Her stepfather forced her to perform sex when she was 8 years old.
She lost her virginity at 13 to an alcoholic who took her in, then abused her when she ran away from home.
She has a borderline personality disorder characterized by wide mood swings and low self-esteem.
``I am ashamed,'' Holsinger told the judge, her voice frequently breaking. ``There is no justification for this heinous crime. I can't expect anyone to understand when I can't understand myself. . . . I am sincerely sorry. . . . Remorse does not describe how I feel. . . . It was an episode from a horror movie, not reality.''
Holsinger said she was not blaming her actions on her problems and childhood trauma but thought they might help the judge understand.
``To ask for mercy would be shallow,'' she said.
``But I, too, am a victim. My victimization does not justify what took place. But this tragic incident may provide others with insight to learn from my mistakes. You can punish me, but I have been punishing myself every day since June 30, 1994.''
The family members were unmoved.
``We all have problems. We don't kill people,'' said Khadija Gren. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
Denise Holsinger
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Family members of the four victims of the 1994 slayings at the
Witchduck Inn are, from left, Carolyn Cussins, mother of slain
handyman Wendel G. ``J.R.'' Parrish Jr., Kevin Rounds, whose wife,
Karen, was slain, Lanna Son, whose husband, LamVan Son, was
murdered, and Khadija Gren, sister of slain patron Abdelaziz Gren.
They exploded in anger after leaving the courtroom Wednesday.
KEYWORDS: SENTENCING MURDER by CNB