ROBERT DYLAN SMITH, HANNALEIGH SUTTLES and ZACHARY SMITH - 17, 8, 14 yo - Greensboro NC

North Carolina woman shoots five kids in the head - killing two - at slumber party

Bitter over love triangle suburban woman turns gun on ex-lover, self

BY NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, November 21 2011, 9:27 PM

via MySpace

Mary Ann Holder wrote two notes taking responsibility for the murderous rampage.

A North Carolina mom involved in a bitter love triangle snapped and shot five kids in the head - killing two - Sunday as part of a double murder-suicide that has stunned the victims' leafy Greensboro suburb.

Mary Ann Holder, 36, wrote two notes taking responsibility for the murderous rampage and apologizing for the pain she caused and then shot herself inside her parked Ford Explorer shortly after 10 a.m., investigators said Monday.

A Guilford County Sheriff's deputy witnessed the suicide, saying he saw the puff of smoke from the bullet that killed her.

Holder's 14-year-old son Zachary Smith, whom she retrieved from a sleepover only minutes earlier, was found clinging to life in the SUV's back seat with a gunshot wound to his head.

Immediately after her death, cops rushed inside Holder's Pleasant Garden house and found a scene of unspeakable horror.

They said Holder apparently opened fire on four innocent youths gathered under her roof at some point Sunday morning.

Her 17-year-old son Robert Dylan Smith was declared dead at the scene.

Her 8-year-old niece Hannaleigh Suttles, who was living with her at the time, died from her injuries at a hospital Monday.

Nephew Richard Suttles, 17, and friend Makayla Woods, 15, were rushed from the house and placed on life support, cops said.

All three surviving teens were in critical condition Monday.

Cops started their manhunt for Holder after she shot her ex-boyfriend Rany Lamb, 40, in the arm following an early morning meeting in a parking lot Sunday.

Lamb called his wife from his car after the violent confrontation, and the wife called police.

Court documents reveal Holder began an affair with Lamb in 2008, but the relationship turned ugly with dueling restraining orders, the News & Record of Greensboro reported.

Lamb's wife said in a court filing that Holder repeatedly harassed her, sent her naked pictures, followed her to the mall and tried to run her off a neighborhood road.

The case was later dismissed because neither woman appeared for trial, according to the News & Record.

Holder filed restraining orders against Lamb and his wife this summer, but they expired, police said.

Lamb's wife was threatening to sue Holder for "alienation of affection," investigators said.

"This is one of the worst tragedies I've seen in my 17 years with the sheriff's department. There are just so many victims and so many questions we may never find the answers to," Sheriff's spokesman Stephen Chandler told the Daily News

Greensboro, NC -- A fourth person has died following a series of shootings by one woman in Guilford County Sunday morning.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Department confirmed Tuesday morning that 14-year-old Zachary Smith died Monday evening. Smith is the second son of shooting suspect Mary Ann Holder to die. He was a freshman at Southeast Guilford High School.

Sheriff B.J. Barnes described Sunday's shooting as "one of the worst situations I've seen in my 30 years in law enforcement."

Barnes said the 36-year-old Holder shot her two sons, one son's girlfriend, a niece and nephew and a man she had an affair with before turning the gun on herself Sunday morning. Including Holder herself, four people were confirmed dead by Tuesday morning.

"We've got a situation basically that no one could ever imagine would happen here in Guilford County," said Barnes. "This is the type of thing that you read about and hear about coming from California or New York or someplace like that. But it's right here."

The first of the victims that died was Holder's oldest son, 17-year-old Robert "Dylan" Smith. Smith was found dead immediately following the shootings. He had attended Southern Guilford High until 2009, when he withdrew.

SLIDESHOW: Images of Zach, Mary Ann and Robert

On Monday, deputies announced that eight-year-old Hannaleigh Suttles, Holder's niece, died at the hospital. Suttles was a third grader at Pleasant Garden Elementary.

At last word, Holder's nephew, 17-year-old Richard Brian Suttles, and Dylan's girlfriend Makayla Leigh Woods, 15, were listed in critical condition. Suttles attends the Middle College at GTCC as a senior.

Woods is a sophomore at Southeast High School.

Barnes said all of the children were shot in the head.

A sixth victim, 40-year-old Randal Lamb, was shot in the shoulder. Barnes said Lamb and Holder were involved in an affair in the past. The investigation into the shooting of Lamb started deputies' discovery of two other crime scenes.

PHOTOS: Images From The Scene

Deputies first got word of Lamb's injury in a 911 call at 9:08 a.m. Lamb's wife called 911 after her husband told her he had been shot near the GTCC Aviation Center.

Investigators believe Holder shot Lamb around 8:52 a.m. Barnes said that Lamb and Holder had at one time been in an affair that ended in what appears to be a bitter breakup.

Court documents show that Holder filed restraining orders against Lamb and his wife, saying they stalked and harassed her and that Lamb constantly drove past her house. Lamb's wife filed a restraining order against Holder, saying she would constantly call and text their cell phones and that Holder also sent nude pictures of herself to her boyfriend's wife.

Lamb's wife also planned to file an alienation of affection claim, which in North Carolina, allows someone who is cheated on to sue the person their spouse had an affair with.

After receiving information from Lamb, deputies went to Holder's home on Cocoa Drive in Pleasant Garden to look for the suspect around 9:22 a.m. Around that same time, detectives said Holder arranged to pick up her son Zach at a location where he had been spending the night.

At 10:11 a.m., a deputy spotted Holder's car on Remora Road. When he turned to approach the car he saw a "puff of smoke" and believed the
suspect shot herself at that time.

The deputy found Mary Ann Holder dead in the car. They also found Zachary Smith shot in the head in the backseat.

Investigators then went to Holder's house on Cocoa Drive, where they found Dylan Smith dead.

Sheriff Barnes said that Holder left behind a note in which she took responsibility for the shootings and apologized for her actions. He also said the note implied that she had been "wronged" in some way and she was angry with how the relationship with Lamb ended.

"We may never know exactly what her thoughts were and why," said Barnes.

Nora Carr, Chief Of Staff for Guilford County Schools, released a statement regarding the tragedy.

"The Guilford County Schools family has been greatly impacted by the violent and tragic incident that took place in our community on Sunday. We know many of our students, staff and families are struggling. The district has placed crisis teams at the affected schools to provide support to those who need it. We are continuing to work with law enforcement agencies with their investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."


http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/200054/1/Mary-Ann-Holder-Kills-Two-Sons-And-Niece-Shoots-3-Others-In-Guilford-County

Lots of cases like this that wouldn't have happened if guns weren't available IMO and I wish the US would get over the fondness of the horrible weapons and the government do something to get rid of them.

kiwimom wrote:Lots of cases like this that wouldn't have happened if guns weren't available IMO and I wish the US would get over the fondness of the horrible weapons and the government do something to get rid of them.

Both the house and the senate are bought and paid for by the NRA. They are in the process of passing new legislation to force all states to recognize gun licenses from other states. Disgusting.

Click on this. Stearns is from Florida.

Gun bill pushed by Cliff Stearns passes House


From the Associated Press:WASHINGTON (AP) -- A state permit to carry a concealed firearm would be valid in almost every other state in the country under legislation the House passed Wednesday

Victims in Guilford County Shooting Spree Remembered

By WRAL
POSTED: 8:00 am EST December 2, 2011UPDATED: 8:42 am EST December 2, 2011
GREENSBORO -- Family and friends gathered Thursday night to remember the lives of five young people gunned down in a family massacre near Greensboro more than a week ago.

“Five caskets, five young people, I mean, when you see it, it just breaks your heart,” Pastor Michael Barrett said.

Mary Ann Holder, 36, is accused of killing her two sons — Robert Dylan Smith, 17, and Zachary Smith, 14. Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes said she also killed the niece and nephew she took into her home when her sister died — Richard Brian Suttles, 17, and Hannaleigh Suttles, 8. She also mortally wounded Makayla Leigh Woods, Robert's 15-year-old girlfriend. She also shot and wounded her married former lover, Randall Lamb.

Holden then killed herself. She left two notes taking responsibility for the killings.

Visitation was held Thursday for the five victims.

"Multiple times since this incident occurred, I walked by my very own children and made sure that they knew and made sure they looked me in the eye, and tell them how much I love them," Pastor Carl Pulliam said.A collective funeral will be held Friday at Pleasant Garden Baptist Church.

Holder's ex-husband, Rocky Smith, and the couple's 21-year-old daughter Christina Smith say they had no indication anything was wrong. Smith said Holder had bought a carload full of groceries the day before the Nov. 20 shootings.Holder had been having an affair with Lamb, 40, for more than three years, but it was coming to an end after months of bitter accusations between Holder, Lamb and Lamb's wife, including allegations of stalking and harassment.

Investigators have ordered chemical screenings of all six victims to see if the children had been drugged or if there was anything influencing Holder's behavior.

The family donated the organs and tissues of Zachary Smith, and Hannaleigh and Ricky Suttles and have been told that nearly two dozen people have been helped, Rocky Smith told WGHP.

http://www.wcti12.com/news/29905803/detail.html

Sheriff: Mary Ann Holder Was Lone Shooter In 5 Deaths In Pleasant Garden




3:26 PM, Jan 10, 2012


Greensboro, NC -- Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes issued a news
release Tuesday morning confirming that Mary Ann Holder was the only
shooter involved in the shootings on November 20, 2011.

Barnes said ballistic testing revealed that the gun found in Mary Ann
Holder's hand was the same weapon used in the shootings that killed
five children and injured a man. He said that cell phone records also
confirm the location of Mary Ann Holder for all the shootings.
Investigators said on the morning of November 20, Holder shot her son
Robert 'Dylan' Smith, 17 and his 15-year-old girlfriend Makayla Woods,
along with her niece Hannaleigh Suttles, 8 and nephew Richard Suttles,
17 in her home on Cocoa Drive in Pleasant Garden.

Holder then drove to the GTCC Aviation Center near the airport. That
is where she shot Randal Lamb in the arm. Barnes said that Lamb and
Holder had been an affair at one time.

After shooting Lamb, detectives said that Holder picked up her son
Zach, 14 at a friend's house. She shot Zach in her car, before turning
the gun on herself.

Dylan Smith was the only one of the victim's pronounced dead the day
of the shooting. The other four children died from their injuries over
the course of the next week.

Sheriff B.J. Barnes said there is still no clear motive as to why Mary Ann Holder shot all the victims.

Court documents revealed that Mary Ann Holder had given one of the
victim's Randal Lamb, a check made out to his wife in the amount of
$10,000 the day before the shootings.

Major Tom Sheppard with the Guilford County Sheriff's Department said
the check was a "settlement" to Jennifer's threat to file an alienation
of affection lawsuit against Holder. It is unclear what role that
transaction may have played into her actions.
http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=207968

kiwimom wrote:Lots of cases like this that wouldn't have happened if guns weren't available IMO and I wish the US would get over the fondness of the horrible weapons and the government do something to get rid of them.

This might be an old post but it's current to recent events.

This "no guns" is an old argument that just does not hold up. Plenty of similar cases occur all the time without guns. Some drown their kids in a vehicle, some stab them over and over, some drown them in bath tubs, some just strangle or smother them. Guns have nothing to do with the point that they just want to kill. While it might make it easier it surely does not prevent it from happening.

A national death penality for those that kill children intentionally might stem some of this travisty.

Even if the US got rid of all guns. Including police, military and everyone. The world is full of guns. You can't just
get rid of them. There's no way countires like North Korea, China, Russia, most in the middle east would just give up guns. Just ain't going to happen. Only removing ALL guns world wide would solve the gun issue. You need to increase punishment for using them to kill. No pleading out, just a death penality for killing someone with a gun. I do support a ban on assualt weapons and large ammo clips but I don't for all guns. And what about the other three items that have come up. Both shooters in the Colorado theater and Sandy Hook school wore body armor. What is a civilian doing with body armor. A civilian should not be able to buy or posses body armor. The shooter in the Colorado theater used tear gas gernades and a smoke mask. While a mask might be needed in some civilian cases the gas gernades surely are not. A civilian does not need a gas or stun gernade. Third. If we had not stopped major funding of mental health the shooter in the Sandy Hook incident might have been in a hospital. I do use the word "might". Who knows for sure in that case.

I don't mean to offend here. But really getting rid of all guns won't stop violence and killing. Killing has been done since man has been around and it won't stop any time soon. If you want to get rid of guns then what about ALL leathal military weapons on the planet. That would help some but still would not stop killing.

William

Everyone who owns a gun should have to undergo a psychological screening every two years.

Even driving licensed drivers must prove their competence periodically. Gun owners should also.

They should also be required to lock them away from their children and others, most especially when you know your child is a loon as the Sandy Hook murderer was.

William and Twink - Right On!