Jury shown videos of officer response, more after 5-year-old was killed in Phenix City

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic reporting.

Sgt. Braden Dobbins was distraught when he discovered the body of Kamarie Holland, a 5-year-old girl who had been killed and sexually assaulted in Phenix City, according to video played in court Wednesday during the trial of the man accused of murdering her.

“There’s a body… I’m not f****** kidding … it’s her … I’ve got a f****** daughter man,” Dobbins said on the video, a body camera recording taken when investigators found Holland dead in December 2021.

Jeremy Tremaine Williams is standing trial this week on multiple felony charges, including capital murder, for Holland’s death. He could be executed if he’s convicted. Williams previously pleaded guilty in the case but he’s still on trial, as Alabama law requires defendants to stand trial for charges that could carry the death penalty.

Dobbins testified that he helped execute a search warrant at Williams’ residence on Dozier Street in Columbus when a woman claiming to be Williams’ wife showed up and provided an address for investigators to check.

Dobbins and Sgt. Jane Edenfield later went to check out the address the woman provided, according to testimony from both Dobbins and Edenfield. That’s when they found Holland’s body. She was covered by a tarp and insulation in the back of a home on 15th Avenue in Phenix City, according to court testimony.

The jury was shown video from both Dobbins and Edenfield’s body cameras as they discovered Holland’s body. The video was not visible to reporters or people in the courtroom gallery Wednesday, but it could be heard.

Dobbins was clearly upset on the recording.

“We should’ve been out here f****** hours ago.,” he said on the recording.

Edenfield’s body camera audio later records what seems to be a phone call she makes afterwards, in which she says, “She’s at the apartment I’ve been trying to get people to check all day.”

In the audio, Edenfield later says Holland had been sodomized.

Dobbins told other officers about how difficult the scene was.

Jeremy Williams didn’t want objections

Williams asked his attorneys not to object during Wednesday’s proceedings, telling Judge David A. Johnson, “I don’t want them to say nothing.”

Williams’ attorneys previously expressed that he had wanted to plead guilty in this case all along.

One of Williams’ attorneys, Charles “Chuck” Floyd III, briefly cross-examined Dobbins, asking if he had gathered evidence and if he turned it over to Phenix City police. Dobbins said he didn’t gather evidence.

Case leaves Russell County jurors emotional

Sgt. Brad Evans with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and responded when Holland’s body was found.

Evans testified Wednesday that Siple wasn’t supposed to have the child that night. Holland’s father allowed her to stay with the mother that night despite a court order not allowing her to stay with her mother.

Cell phone pings indicate Williams left Siple’s residence on Bowman Street in Columbus and proceeded to his residence on Dozier Street before going to the 15th avenue location in Phenix City.

Evans testified a search warrant was obtained and conducted to extract the contents of Williams’ phone. On that phone they found six videos of Williams sexually assaulting Holland, according to Evan’s testimony.

He said investigators knew it was Williams because he dropped the phone, at which point the camera flipped showing Williams. The videos were taken outside in the car where he sexually assaulted Holland.

The video was played for the jury, attorneys and judge but was not shown to reporters or those in the gallery. The audio for the video could be heard.

Some jurors began to cry while the video was shown and tissues were dispensed.

Evans detailed a few photos entered into evidence not shown to the media or gallery which were from the videos.

Evans testified that toxicological reports indicated Holland had been exposed to meth, which Williams claimed he made her smoke.

This story was originally published April 11, 2024 at 5:00 AM.