AL Attorney General's Office files motion to execute Kamarie Holland’s killer
The Alabama’s Attorney General’s Office has filed a motion with the Alabama Supreme Court asking them to authorize the execution of the killer of a 5-year-old girl taken from Columbus.
Jeremy Williams was found guilty in April 2024 on multiple capital murder charges in the kidnapping, rape and murder of Kamarie Holland in December 2021.
The motion, filed May 15, says, “The State of Alabama respectfully moves this Honorable Court to authorize the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections to carry out Jeremy Tremaine Williams’s lawfully imposed sentence of death within a time frame set by the Governor of Alabama.”
Williams was sentenced to death in April 2024 by Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson.
Williams entered a motion to have the remainder of his appeals waived, which would expedite his execution. The appeals process can take decades for death-penalty cases in Alabama,
Johnson found Williams competent to waive his future appeals and his right to appellate counsel.
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld Williams’ murder conviction in March, after an automatic appeal due to the case involving capital murder and a death sentence.
District Attorney Rick Chancey reacts
Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey said during an interview after Williams was sentenced to death, “If I’m realistic, I’ll die before him.”
Now, Chancey said he is “shocked that we’re here now today getting this close to it, but, I mean, it’s really only because Jeremy Williams has waived all of his appeals, and but for that, we would be still waiting.”
A situation Chancey called “highly unusual.”
For Williams’ other alleged victims and for Holland’s family, Chancey said, “I hope this (Williams’ execution) will happen soon and give some degree of closure and peace.”
Chancey said there are feelings across the spectrum when it comes to the death penalty — from adamantly opposed to strongly for.
“In this case, if the death penalty’s ever warranted, I think this is one of those that certainly weighs in favor of supporting the death penalty,” Chancey said.
Background on Jeremy Williams’ murder of Kamarie Holland
Holland’s death in December 2021 came after her mother, Kristy Marie Siple, and Williams came to an agreement to let Williams commit sexual offenses against the 5-year-old girl for $2,500.
Siple pleaded guilty to human trafficking in the case. She agreed to serve a sentence of 20 years and testify against Williams as part of the plea, but she was not called as a witness during trial.
Cellphone pings showed Williams left Siple’s residence on Bowman Street in Columbus and headed to his residence on Dozier Street before going to the 15th Avenue location in Phenix City.
Holland’s body was found by Columbus Police Department officers. Her body was covered by a tarp and insulation in the back of a home on 15th Avenue in Phenix City, police said..
In the course of the trial, the jury heard testimony from the CPD officers who found Holland’s body and the doctor who performed the autopsy. The jury also saw video of Williams assaulting Holland.
David Rydzewski, a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Holland, testified blood taken from Holland revealed methamphetamine and amphetamine in her body.
Williams claimed he made Holland smoke meth, according to testimony given by Sgt. Brad Evans with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators found on Williams’ phone six videos of him sexually assaulting Holland. They identified Williams in the footage after he dropped the phone, causing the camera to flip around and show Williams.
Before the trial, Williams pleaded guilty to charges involving Holland’s death. However, Alabama law dictates that a case carrying the death penalty cannot be resolved by pleading guilty.
Those guilty pleas were entered as exhibits during the trial for the jury to consider.