Father of slain 5-year-old wants death penalty for man convicted in Phenix City

Corey Holland Sr. sat in a Russell County courtroom Friday and heard the jury declare his daughter’s killer guilty for capital murder .

His daughter, Kamarie Holland, was 5 years old when Jeremy Tremaine Williams sexually assaulted and murdered her on Dec. 13, 2021, according to court testimony.

Corey Holland said the guilty verdicts were “well deserved.” He told the Ledger-Enquirer, “Kamarie was too precious for what happened to her.”

Holland was in the courtroom Wednesday morning as prosecutors presented evidence, but left before video evidence was shown . The videos were from the body cameras of officers who found Kamarie’s body, and from Williams’ cell phone, showing him in the act of some of the offenses he committed.

“I couldn’t see none of that type of stuff,” Holland said.

Some of the testimony he heard Wednesday made him lose sleep, he said.

“I honestly want the death penalty for him,” said Holland. “Kamarie’s life was way worth more than his life, so, he shouldn’t have life period.”

Holland said he would be in the courtroom for Williams’ sentencing hearing Monday, which is when the court will determine if Williams should be sentenced to death.

“His life compares nothing to Kamarie’s,” Holland said.

He said it won’t be much relief if Williams receives the death penalty, but it would provide some.

“Each and every day and night I’m going to be missing Kamarie,” he said.

Holland said his daughter was loving, caring and sweet, and didn’t view anyone as a stranger. She was one of the best big sisters he’s seen, even from an early age.

‘One of the hardest cases’

“This is one of the hardest cases that the sheriff’s office has ever had to investigate,” said Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor, adding it was “probably the most difficult to investigate knowing what the child went through.

Taylor said he was happy about the guilty verdict.

“Anyone who has children, who have ever been a parent, you just can’t imagine that your child had to endure two to three hours of torture, and that’s basically what went on here.”

“I hope they put him to death,” Taylor said.

Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey said the guilty verdict was a relief.

“We’ve got it done where this man can’t hurt someone else again,” said Chancey.

“I’ve seen gory things and I’ve seen brutal things, but watching somebody do something like that to a baby is a whole different level of something,” Chancey added.

Chancey said he’d “never” get this case out of his mind.

“I never met Kamarie while she was alive, and I hate that’s how I’m going to remember Kamarie, is from that video,” Chancey said.