Murphy Sentenced To 35 Years In Prison
by Kevin Taylor
Wetumpka Herald

Some of the family members of Ronnie Holman sat in Courtroom 1 of the Elmore County Judicial Center Monday afternoon hanging their heads in disbelief.


Ronnie Holman's parents Betty and Pete Holman look at Jason Murphy (orange jumpsuit) Monday afternoon after asking Circuit Court Judge Sibley Reynolds to sentence Murphy to 99 years in prison. Murphy was sentenced to 35 years.
- - - Herald Photo/Griffin Pritchard
After 6 1/2 years of trials and continuances, convicted killer Jason Murphy showed no emotion as he sat in a chair in an orange jumpsuit, shackles and a bulletproof vest as Circuit Court Judge Sibley Reynolds sentenced him to 35 years in prison.

Holman's widow, daughter, and mother and father as well as members of the state attorney general's office who prosecuted the case stood before Reynolds pleading him to give Murphy the maximum sentence of 99 years.

"This is the second-toughest thing I've ever done," Holman's wife, Kathy, said to Reynolds. "The first was 6 1/2 years ago when I buried my husband of 27 years. The second is having to plead with the court the fate of Jason Murphy in asking he pay for what he did."

Murphy was found guilty of murder by a Chilton County jury Oct. 8, 2009, after two other trials were declared mistrials because of hung juries.

"We wanted 99 years and no less," said Ronnie Holman's sister, Donna Bush. "My brother was sentenced to life that night, I would have liked to see (Jason Murphy) get life without parole."

Murphy's mother, Gracie Till, said her son will appeal the sentence as well as the conviction.

"This has been real hard on me and my family knowing that (he) didn't do it," she said.

Jason Murphy's brother, Jared, also stands accused of murder and his trial is set for Aug. 16 in Chilton County, according to court records.

"There will never be closure for the family regarding this," Bush said. "When it's time for him to go before the parole board, we'll be there to fight it every step of the way. We'll stick together and see this thing through until the end."

Holman, 45, was murdered July 29, 2003, outside of his home in Titus.

The incident began when his wife heard the dogs barking while she and he were watching television, according to court records.

One of the dogs came back to the house, but another did not.

Holman then grabbed his shotgun and went outside to investigate. A few minutes later, Kathy Holman heard two shots and saw her husband fall to the ground.


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