Slaying: Police still have leads

Web posted July 24, 1998

By Meghan Gourley
Staff Writer

It's been nearly five weeks since David Holt was found burned to death in his car, the victim of an apparent robbery, and his family, along with colleagues at Sam's Club, struggle to cope with the manager's death as the story gains national attention.

``This person needs to be put where they belong because they'll do it again,'' said Donna Holt, Mr. Holt's widow, referring to those responsible for her husband's death. ``I don't know that I'd have anything to say to them. With people like that who have no regard for human life, nothing I say would interest them.

``God may forgive them. Dave would probably have forgiven them. But if their salvation depends on my forgiveness, they'll burn in hell.

``But to anyone who may know something, anything, any little piece of information, please call the police. It could be the key to the whole thing.''

This weekend, the whole country will get a look at what possibly happened the night Mr. Holt was killed.

Fox's America's Most Wanted, to air at 9 p.m. Saturday, is presenting the unsolved case through a re-enactment, said segment producer David Bolton. At the request of the FBI, the show came to Augusta this week to tape the re-enactment, he said.

``It's very hard to do those kinds of cases,'' he said, referring to the fact that police aren't sure who they are looking for and there is no composite sketch or pictures of a suspect to air for people to be on the lookout for.

Instead, the show will re-enact the events as police believe happened at Sam's Club on June 21 when Mr. Holt and the store was robbed.

``There are people, if you can jog their memory, there may be people who have that little thread of information that leads to the big picture and maybe have an avalanche effect,'' Mr. Bolton said.

Police remain tight-lipped about the death, fearing the release of too much information could jeopardize the investigation, which includes officers from Richmond and Aiken counties, and officials with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Although there are few publicized details, there are several facts the police believe to be true: Whoever killed Mr. Holt knew Sam's Club well and more than one person likely was involved.

Mr. Holt, a Sam's Club manager at the Bobby Jones Expressway store, was last seen just after midnight June 21, where he set the alarm to the store. About three hours later, he was found in the trunk of his burning car on Sand Pit Road in North Augusta. Police found that the store alarm had been deactivated and the safe emptied. Surveillance video from the store was removed, police said.

Investigators have been interviewing store employees as well as others, and they are re-interviewing some people, said Richmond County sheriff's Investigator Wayne Bunton.

``We have followed up a lot of good leads and we continue to do so,'' said Chief Deputy Ronald Strength. ``But we still have plenty to do. We are still optimistic and we have not even come close to hitting a dead-end street.''

Wal-Mart, the parent company of Sam's Club, is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction. Employees of the company throughout the country have contacted the Holt family and the media offering support.

Brenda Deter, a marketing employee for the company in Hagerstown, Md., said she worked with Mr. Holt while he was manager at a Sam's Club there.

``We were really hurt here, and we're still mourning the loss,'' she said. ``He was really a great guy.''

Anyone with information should 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.