Marc Holliman, a man from Near North Side, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of his elderly mother, Juanita Holliman. The jury found him guilty of murder, with a verdict of mentally ill. Holliman, aged 58, was sentenced by Cook County Judge Ursula Walowski for the incident that occurred in June 2021. He is required to serve the full term of his sentence.
According to prosecutors, Holliman used his mother’s cane to strangle her while she slept on the living room couch of their shared apartment on West Delaware Place. Investigations revealed that Juanita had recently discovered her son was forging checks in his name to withdraw money from her bank account.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Holliman dragging a heavy object from their home, placing it into the front passenger seat of his car, and concealing it with cardboard boxes. Cameras from the Chicago Police Department tracked his vehicle as he drove south towards Dwight, Illinois. A heat sensor-equipped camera detected warmth from the passenger seat, indicating the presence of Juanita’s concealed body, as prosecutors stated.
Later that morning, Holliman arrived at a gas station in Dwight and called 911. Initially, he reported a robbery, but then claimed he was experiencing a personal emergency. He subsequently told officers he no longer required assistance, according to prosecutors.
This led to a tense standoff. Holliman, armed with scissors, approached an officer in a squad car and asked if he would be shot if he charged at the officer with scissors raised. After the officer exited the squad car, Holliman returned to his vehicle and drove back and forth between two nearby businesses under police observation.
Bleeding from self-inflicted wrist wounds, Holliman approached another officer, repeatedly asking to be shot. The police then called for an ambulance.
While Holliman received medical attention, a Dwight officer retrieved his car keys and discovered Juanita’s body sitting upright under a box in the front passenger seat.
Holliman allegedly confessed to the killing, claiming his mother, who he said was ill and in pain, had requested him to end her life. However, Juanita’s daughter disputed this account, explaining that she had seen her mother the month before her death and exchanged daily texts with her. Juanita did not express a desire to die or indicate she was suffering, according to her daughter.
A public defender who initially represented Holliman noted that his mental health had deteriorated following a “COVID procedure.”
In June, the jury found Holliman guilty on two counts of murder. The guilty but mentally ill verdict grants him access to mental health treatment during his incarceration.
