'Justice Was Finally Served': Man Who Raped, Murdered 5-Year-Old Georgia Girl Sentenced to Death

A man was sentenced to death after a 5-year-old girl who vanished from her home in Georgia was found dead in a neighboring state, law enforcement officials said.

The mother of Kamarie Holland woke up around 5:50 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2021, she told police in Columbus, Georgia, and discovered the door to their house open and her daughter missing. She called authorities about 25 minutes later.

Jeremy Tremaine Williams was identified mid-day as a suspect in Holland’s disappearance and deputies in Russell County, Alabama, located him at the Bamboo Motel in Phenix City, WRBL reported.

According to Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor, detectives learned Williams, who Holland’s mother knew but was not romantically involved with, lived in a vacant home and upon investigating the residence found the missing child’s body late the same evening she went missing.

“It’s a sad time to have to speak about a 5-year-old ...who absolutely did nothing wrong. It’s sad,” Taylor said, noting the victim was possibly sexually assaulted and likely died from asphyxiation. An autopsy is pending.

Williams was booked into the Russell County Jail and charged with four counts of capital murder.

The outlet reported Williams was previously a suspect in a 1-year-old infant’s death in Alaska, but there was a lack of evidence in the case and he was never charged with any crime.

In 2009, Taylor said, Williams was accused of child abuse in Phenix City, Alabama, but a jury acquitted him. He reportedly also was facing child abuse allegations in Columbus, where Holland lived with her mother. Taylor was uncertain of the case’s current status.

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In March 2024, Williams pleaded guilty to the charges, USA Today reported. However, Alabama law requires a jury to determine if a suspect in a death penalty case is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

On April 12, following a three-day trial, the jury found Williams guilty on four counts of capital murder in connection with the killing of Holland.

Williams was also found guilty of sodomy, sexual abuse of a child less than 12, production of obscene material involving a child, human trafficking, conspiracy to commit human trafficking and abuse of a corpse, officials said.

On April 15, a judge sentenced Williams to death.

Following the sentencing, Kamarie's father Corey Holland said, “Seeing that justice was finally served I’m deeply grateful,” USA Today reported.