Official: Killing is 'solvable'

Nine months after manager was found dead, police say they are closer than ever to an arrest

Web posted March 25, 1999

By Meghan Gourley
Staff Writer

Donna Holt wrote a birthday poem to her husband he'll never read.

There weren't any birthday celebrations this year for David Holt, who would have been 46 Wednesday had he lived.

Although the Sam's Club manager was kidnapped and killed nine months ago, the memory of the husband and father is fresh in the minds of the family he left behind.

An ornate Web site is dedicated to the slain man: messages from his wife and sons, pleadings that his killers be brought to justice.

Giant billboards with Mr. Holt's face don the back streets and busy highways of Richmond County asking, ``Who murdered David Holt?''

Wal-Mart, the parent company of Sam's, is offering a $200,000 reward for information in the grisly slaying.

``This case is absolutely solvable,'' said Richmond County sheriff's Investigator Wayne Bunton. A reward poster hangs above the officer's desk, an everyday reminder of what he must do. ``We've made quite a bit of headway. We are closer today than we've ever been.''

Mr. Holt was kidnapped June 21 after leaving the Sam's Club store on Bobby Jones Expressway. Authorities believe he was forced to return to the store, which was robbed. Video surveillance tapes had been removed from the store's cameras, police said.

His body was found locked in the trunk of his burning car across the Fifth Street bridge in North Augusta. Autopsy reports showed he died in the fire.

Police have released few details about the incident, saying robbery was the motive, the crime likely was committed by more than one person, and someone involved in the planning knew the store well.

Although police track down leads constantly in the case, Investigator Bunton is reluctant to anticipate an arrest before the first anniversary of the slaying in June.

Since the killing, employees of Sam's Club and Wal-Mart stores throughout the country have rallied around Mr. Holt's family.

The story gained national attention in July when the case was featured on America's Most Wanted.

Anyone with information about Mr. Holt's death is asked to call the Richmond County Sheriff's Department at (706) 821-1080, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at (803) 642-1761 or the FBI at (706) 722-3702.

Meghan Gourley covers crime for The Augusta Chronicle. She can be reached at (706) 823-3227 or mgourley@augustachronicle.com.