This case has always made me intrigued. If Cheryl Holland with the help of her common law husband needed the money so badly why wouldnt she have just asked her Aunt and Uncle whom she was allegedly very close with and was considered like a daughter to them?

It doesnt make any sense to me

I don't know what the heck she was thinking. Her actions were so irrational.

IIRC, in the segment, she didn't really tell her husband how much money they really needed, which was supposedly a lot more than he realized. (Her drug debts or something, I can't remember.)

Then she leaves her husband and little kids, and meets up with this other guy, either willingly or not. Maybe she owed him the money? And didn't she finally go on the run, completely abandoning her kids?

I'm wondering if she was just stupid or if she was high when she and her husband killed her aunt and uncle. The way the segment presented it, it didn't seem to be a well thought out murder/cover up.

Didn't they say that her aunt and uncle had $100,000 or $150,000 in cash in the house, and that's what she was after? But she didn't get anywhere near that much in the robbery, or she couldn't find it or something?

The extreme violence of what she did, with the shooting of the two people who loved her so much, torching their house, putting their bodies in the trunk of their car and sinking it in the river... all that is telling me that she was a druggie.

That's why she was able to coldly leave her kids in the car outside the house while she murdered her aunt and uncle, and that's why she was able to carry out the whole crime against close family without any emotion. (Unless she's a true psychopath.)

I think she would have been better off to make up some story about her baby being kidnapped and that she needed cash money now, at night, when the banks are closed, because of the ransom demands. If she had used that ruse, and kept her aunt and uncle in a frantic and confused state, I believe they would have given her whatever cash she needed to get her baby back from the "kidnappers".

This case has always made me intrigued. If Cheryl Holland with the help of her common law husband needed the money so badly why wouldnt she have just asked her Aunt and Uncle whom she was allegedly very close with and was considered like a daughter to them?

It doesnt make any sense to m

To quote from my favorite show "Homicide: Life On the Streets"

" I don;t know. Sometimes crime makes you stupid." ;)

This case has always made me intrigued. If Cheryl Holland with the help of her common law husband needed the money so badly why wouldnt she have just asked her Aunt and Uncle whom she was allegedly very close with and was considered like a daughter to them?

It doesnt make any sense to me

Welcome! :) I've thought the same thing. They seemed very generous and thought so much of Cheryl that they would have no doubt helped her out financially. My guess is it was just greed on her part not necessarily needing money for a bill or something but just wanting all the money they had worked so hard to earn for years.

Yeah, I have to say that she just seemed like a cold-hearted, greedy bitch.

It's also possible that Chery Holland was a sociopath. Maybe this need for money just brought that mentality out of her.

It's also possible there may be a whole different side to this story from Cheryl's view that we are not privy too.

Maybe that whole family relationship wasn't as close as the segment stated.

Maybe Cheryl had a debt that she couldn't simply reveal to her family.

Cheryl's baby was only six weeks old when she did this, correct? I've wondered if maybe she had some sort of post-partum depression or even psychosis that brought this on, since it seemed so out of character for her.

It's also possible that Chery Holland was a sociopath. Maybe this need for money just brought that mentality out of her.

It's also possible there may be a whole different side to this story from Cheryl's view that we are not privy too.

Maybe that whole family relationship wasn't as close as the segment stated.

Maybe Cheryl had a debt that she couldn't simply reveal to her family.

Fair enough, but to murder them? It was a small town they were from so based on teh interviews I think the town would know just how close Cheryl was to her Aunt and uncle. It's funny you know, as soon as I saw this segment and they mentioned that her "common law husband" didnt know where she was a light went off in my head right away that I knew he was involved, and yes, that dirtbag WAS involved!

Hey guys, long time lurker but first time poster (not sure why I waited so long). :)

This is one of the first cases I ever saw back in 1994 not long after I became a UM fan, and I wondered the same thing too! How she could snap out of nowhere and murder the Harveys in cold blood just because she "needed money". There was probably more to it that they left out.

It's even more heartbreaking since the Harveys seemed like they were probably some of the nicest people, and probably would've helped her out if she'd asked.

The way the segment and the reenactments made it look, it seemed like Cheryl was actually the one behind it, and her husband Eddie didn't want to, but relented. It was interesting to me too, how the family members opinion changed as the storyprogressed. At first they didn't believe she could do it (or even if she was, it wasn't of her own volition out of being afraid of Eddie).

I do wonder though if being with Eddie had some influence on her that wasn't there before, like TracyLynn metioned drugs. That's the only way I could explain her totally changing. Even if he didn't plan the murders, the fact that he went with it and wasn't strong enough to say no, says alot about him. Even before then, he was probably pretty trashy (even if not quite criminal).

Welcome! :) I've thought the same thing. They seemed very generous and thought so much of Cheryl that they would have no doubt helped her out financially. My guess is it was just greed on her part not necessarily needing money for a bill or something but just wanting all the money they had worked so hard to earn for years.

I think perhaps Cheryl was a druggie and her aunt and uncle bailed her out before because they loved her. This time, they were doing the tough love bit and that POed Cheryl off to the brink.

Welcome! :) I've thought the same thing. They seemed very generous and thought so much of Cheryl that they would have no doubt helped her out financially. My guess is it was just greed on her part not necessarily needing money for a bill or something but just wanting all the money they had worked so hard to earn for years.

I think perhaps Cheryl was a druggie and her aunt and uncle bailed her out before because they loved her. This time, they were doing the tough love bit and that POed Cheryl off to the brink.

I think perhaps Cheryl was a druggie and her aunt and uncle bailed her out before because they loved her. This time, they were doing the tough love bit and that POed Cheryl off to the brink.

This is probably closest to the mark. She must have blown through that 150K pretty fast too, since she was found working at a convenience store a year later.

This is probably closest to the mark. She must have blown through that 150K pretty fast too, since she was found working at a convenience store a year later.

Which bolsters the idea that there was some debt to be paid of with the 150K.

I think perhaps Cheryl was a druggie and her aunt and uncle bailed her out before because they loved her. This time, they were doing the tough love bit and that POed Cheryl off to the brink.

Yeah, I wonder if there's something the segment left out to that effect, maybe even intentionally. Although the family members were initially sticking 100% by her side and couldn't believe her involvement until AFTER Eddie confessed and they started hearing proof. If she was into drugs, it probably was unbeknownst to anybody.

Heck, I've even thought to myself why her and Eddie couldn't have just took out the gun and demanded money from the Harveys. That's still despicable of course, but I hated how they killed them, much less the way they did it. :(

Eddie isn't any better than she is either, since he didn't refuse to do it.

I wonder what it was that she thought she needed to pay off. She didn't pay off legitimate debt, like a house or cars.

A drug dealer would not have let her get that far into debt with him. Maybe it was multiple dealers? But that's a lot of money. And what about gambling debts?

What was she involved in that she felt justified in killing her relatives?

After the whole mess happened, didn't she abandon her kids and go on the run? I can't believe what a selfish idiot she was. She killed people, stole all that money, left her kids, and then ended up broke and working in a convenience store.

If she was going to end up like that anyway, why didn't she just go on the run in the first place, abandon her kids, NOT pay off the debt, go into hiding, and live under an assumed name, broke and working in a convenience store. That way, no one had to die and the end result is still the same.

Eddie isn't any better than she is either, since he didn't refuse to do it.

Exactly. They paint him out to be a dumb redneck in the segment but the truth is he's a cold blooded murderer. He is just as guilty if not more considering he pulled the trigger himself.

So sad, the the older couple seemed like such a nice couple too by all accounts. This was 1991, they were married 35 years? It's too bad.

Yes. I definitely agree. Eddie was just as bad as Cheryl, maybe worse. Especially because he could have walked away from the plan anytime he wanted to or at least tried to talk her out of it, but he didn't. I think he saw dollar signs flashing before his eyes, just like the wife did. It's such a shame that a couple that were loved by so many people had to meet such a tragic end!

I think perhaps Cheryl was a druggie and her aunt and uncle bailed her out before because they loved her. This time, they were doing the tough love bit and that POed Cheryl off to the brink.

I think that's the best possible explanation. I keep thinking of Dwayne McCorkendale, shot in the back for approximately $25, possibly by a group of people who were trolling truck stops and asking drivers if "they had any dope", among other odd things.

Yes. I definitely agree. Eddie was just as bad as Cheryl, maybe worse. Especially because he could have walked away from the plan anytime he wanted to or at least tried to talk her out of it, but he didn't. I think he saw dollar signs flashing before his eyes, just like the wife did. It's such a shame that a couple that were loved by so many people had to meet such a tragic end!

I agree. Of course any murder or death (especially before someone's "time") is tragic, but especially when it was so pointless and avoidable like this.

They were probably about 55 or so back in 1991, and I realized had this not happened, they could've STILL been operating that store today! Maybe reduced to part time or with additional help, but still. When I first watched the segment Stack's line about "They were such a fixture, everyone assumed they'd be there forever" really stuck with me. The Harveys seemed like the picture of small town friendliness.



P.S. I wonder if Cheryl was involved with drugs and no one else (except the Harveys) knew about it? That would explain how they initlally stuck by her in the segment interviews.

Yes. I definitely agree. Eddie was just as bad as Cheryl, maybe worse. Especially because he could have walked away from the plan anytime he wanted to or at least tried to talk her out of it, but he didn't. I think he saw dollar signs flashing before his eyes, just like the wife did. It's such a shame that a couple that were loved by so many people had to meet such a tragic end!

I agree as well. I mean Eddie had the gun. He had the power, if he refused I believe that would have been that. The crime wouldn't have happend. He went ahead with it and was just or even more as guilty.

Does anyone ever know what punishment she received? The update ends by saying she could receive the death penalty.

I did a search on the Tennessee Dept. of Corrections website. "Cheryl Lee Holland" is listed as having been sentenced on 2/26/1992 and eligible for parole on 6/11/2020. I also found a snippet through Google that said she pled guilty to two counts (I assume murder).

Likely, she avoided the death penalty and instead received life with a chance of parole after a predetermined amount of time (maybe 30 years, or possibly longer, but with the stipulation that her parole hearing would be moved up if she were model prisoner).

I did a search on the Tennessee Dept. of Corrections website. "Cheryl Lee Holland" is listed as having been sentenced on 2/26/1992 and eligible for parole on 6/11/2020. I also found a snippet through Google that said she pled guilty to two counts (I assume murder).

Likely, she avoided the death penalty and instead received life with a chance of parole after a predetermined amount of time (maybe 30 years, or possibly longer, but with the stipulation that her parole hearing would be moved up if she were model prisoner).
I searched the Tennessee Dept. of Corrections myself. I found that Eddie Wooten is eligible for parole beginning the year before Cheryl.

Where did the "Cheryl had a drug problem" stuff come from? I missed that.

The drug angle sounds to be entirely speculative. I've heard nothing of the sort. It just seems like too plausible an excuse to not consider.

I don't care why she did it. She deserved a far harsher consideration than she received. And, on top of it all, her uncle said that all would be forgiven if she just came home. Talk about turning the other cheek. She doesn't deserve that family. There have been discussions in the past as to who we'd like to meet from UM segments. The Holland family really comes to mind when recalling the uncle's comments.

It's also possible that Chery Holland was a sociopath. Maybe this need for money just brought that mentality out of her.


There's no maybe here : definitely psychopath.

The couple was executed and Cheryl Holland manipulated her husband to do the trick for her. He is guilty, yes, but Cheryl was the mastermind and had neither remorse nor even loyalty, as she left her husband and her children afterwards for a fling.

When you coldly kill love ones in the way for a cold-blooded reason, here money, with no remorse, without any provocation or circumstances making it a crime of passion, it is clear that she was a psychopath, and her husband at least someone with an abherrent, yet co-dependent personality.

I've never heard anything official about a drug angle, but I can believe Cheryl Holland had severe drug problems for the simple reason that she looked a LOT older than she really was! I was shocked when they said she was only 27 years old since the pictures they showed made her look like she was in her fourties.

This case reminds me of the old fable about the goose that layed the golden eggs. For those unfamiliar with the tale, this is it in a nutshell. A man has a goose that lays him one golden egg a day. The man starts thinking about all the riches he could have if he could get all the eggs he could rather than ust one that the goose was laying per day. Greed takes over and he decides to cut the goose open to get all the golden eggs inside of her. He kills her, cuts her open but to his dismay she's just a regular goose. Now poor guy hasno more goose and therefore no more golden eggs. Moral: Greed really doesn't pay.

I think that's the case here. Rather than keep getting the few bucks from her aunt and uncle, she decided to just have them killed and get all the money they had. I don't think she and her birdbrain boyfriend ever found the rest of their money and in the end, all they got was a one way ticket to prison!

I've never heard anything official about a drug angle, but I can believe Cheryl Holland had severe drug problems for the simple reason that she looked a LOT older than she really was! I was shocked when they said she was only 27 years old since the pictures they showed made her look like she was in her fourties.

Heck, she did. Drugs and alcohol or just hard living seem to age people fastest. That's one of those times where the real person and the actor looked nothing alike. When I was 12-13 I sorta crushed on the girl portraying her, and when I saw what the real Cheryl looked like I was taken aback, lol.

On a completely serious note, I wonder what made her suddenly snap. No matter how broke or stressed she was, chances are she didn't become a sociopathic murderer overnight. It seems plausible she would've been on drugs to be not thinking clearly at the time.

In the reenactment, she tells Eddie "Do you think they're just gonna hand over the money?" Even when I first saw it, I was thinking Why wouldn't they? At least ask! The segment also said how close the Harveys were to Cheryl, I wonder if perhaps they didn't like Eddie, and that put some strain on the relationship?

Yes, Eddie is eligible for parole in 2019, Cheryl in 2020. However under the laws they were sentenced under (which have since been changed) their parole date gets closer and closer with good time credit. Eddie is now 49 years old, having been born on October 27th, 1960. He is currently in the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City, Tennessee. His parole eligibility date is January 15th, 2019.

On a completely serious note, I wonder what made her suddenly snap. No matter how broke or stressed she was, chances are she didn't become a sociopathic murderer overnight. It seems plausible she would've been on drugs to be not thinking clearly at the time.

In the reenactment, she tells Eddie "Do you think they're just gonna hand over the money?" Even when I first saw it, I was thinking Why wouldn't they? At least ask! The segment also said how close the Harveys were to Cheryl, I wonder if perhaps they didn't like Eddie, and that put some strain on the relationship?

Hell, the Harveys were portrayed as such nice people and so loving of Cheryl that even if she had robbed them at gunpoint and took their money, I have a feeling they still wouldn't have turned her in! They probably would have kept trying to convince her to change her mind and do the right thing, or allowed her to use the money to solve any problems she might have had before they even considered telling the police.

I just do not see how she possibly thought that killing them was necessary! But the fact that she took her children along while she did this and then abandoned afterwards indicates one of those complete unexplained mental breakdowns that none of us could ever understand.

Kadramas - thanks for the info. That's actually not very long from now at all (makes UM seem so long ago! "2020" sounded like the far future in the early 90s), I can see Eddie getting out maybe due to his mental capacity, but that seems like an injustice to not give Cheryl life. Especially considering Tennessee is probably a bit more on the Bible Belt/Conservative side.

Hell, the Harveys were portrayed as such nice people and so loving of Cheryl that even if she had robbed them at gunpoint and took their money, I have a feeling they still wouldn't have turned her in! They probably would have kept trying to convince her to change her mind and do the right thing, or allowed her to use the money to solve any problems she might have had before they even considered telling the police.

I just do not see how she possibly thought that killing them was necessary! But the fact that she took her children along while she did this and then abandoned afterwards indicates one of those complete unexplained mental breakdowns that none of us could ever understand.

I agree, I've thought that too. Joe's brother in law even said in the beginning of the segment, how they didn't even get a gun for the gas station because they were so trusting. Of course robbing them at gunpoint would still be bad, but obviously much better than what she did. Even if she was determined to pull a gun, I wondered why she didn't do that instead of coercing Eddie to kill them (and even he protested at first). The only explanation to me is she was on hard drugs and not thinking rationally. Most people (even smalltime criminals or in the heat of the moment) wouldn't commit cold blooded murder against two family members who loved them. :(

I actually would be interested to know Eddie's side of the story more. Sure, he seemed a little shady himself and limited intelligence, but probably for the most part was an ok dude and not a sociopath.

Yeah, I have thought of writing to Eddie, to see how he would respond and what he would say? I personally, while I of course despise what he did, but I do not think he is a sociopath or a truly 'bad guy' in the sense of the word. I think he was like a puppy being led around by Cheryl. Eddie had a 7th grade education and seemed to understand and think along the lines of a 12 or 13 year old which was the age he last attended school.

Wooten pled guilty and got two concurrent life with the possibility of parole sentences. The thing that ticked me off was they pled Cheryl out to the same plea deal even though she was behind the whole thing and especially regarding how much she betrayed the Harvey's, threw Eddie under the bus and went out on the run for a year. But she got the same plea deal Eddie did, concurrent life with the possibility of parole sentences. At that time in Tennessee, there was not LWOP so if she would have taken it to trial she would have either got the death penalty or life with the possibility of parole although if she would have got life, at sentencing she probably would have got back to back life sentences.

Cheryl Holland, born June 14th, 1964 is now 46 years old and is in the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville. Her parole eligibility date is currently listed as May 26th, 2020.

Yeah, I entirely agree. He probably was like an "advanced 12 year old" (i.e. same thought process just with more life experience). The irony is, that's probably what made it easier for Cheryl to convince him to kill the Harveys, while also being one reason he broke down relatively easily in the police station when they questioned him about discrepencies in his story.

I also despise his actions (he was intelligent enough to know right from wrong) and while he's far from innocent, I don't think he had quite the evil intent Cheryl did. Like I'm sure he never would've concocted a plan to kill them on his own.

Yeah, I think they shouldn't have been sentenced equally either. Even though Eddie was the triggerman and didn't try to stop her (that actually seems the most upsetting to me), there's no question Cheryl was the mastermind.

Yeah, I have thought of writing to Eddie, to see how he would respond and what he would say? I personally, while I of course despise what he did, but I do not think he is a sociopath or a truly 'bad guy' in the sense of the word. I think he was like a puppy being led around by Cheryl. Eddie had a 7th grade education and seemed to understand and think along the lines of a 12 or 13 year old which was the age he last attended school.

This helped provide the context for one of my all-time favourite unintentionally funny lines on UM: "Eddie, first place, not got that much education". :lol:

Anyway, I'm sure that when Cheryl was missing, a lot of people probably assumed that Eddie killed her and totally made up the whole story about her manipulating him to kill the Harveys. However, it became pretty clear that he didn't have the intellect to dream up a story like that and just did exactly what he was told.

On a completely serious note, I wonder what made her suddenly snap. No matter how broke or stressed she was, chances are she didn't become a sociopathic murderer overnight. It seems plausible she would've been on drugs to be not thinking clearly at the time.


One does not need to kill to be a psychopath. The vast majority of them don't kill, and they live more or less normal lives. However, they'd ready to do anything, even to go as far to cheat, lie, steal, threaten, and even kill, if they feel it is the only way or the best way to either get rid of someone or or to gain something.

Plenty of psychopaths use drugs... it only makes them more erratic and more extreme faster. But it's not because you are high on drugs that you are incapable of plotting a murder for profit.

That she didn't even considered asking them to borrow money and just decided to straight having her relatives murdered to steal their money, and doing so by manipulating her dim-witted husband to do the deed to clean her hands of any responsability and use him afterwards as patsy, is stone cold psychopathic and hallmarks a total absence of empathy for her victims and an utilitarian, exploitative viewpoint towards others. Most people do not escalate to kill coldly someone for profit like that. That she did shows, to me at least, that she had at least a swiss-cheese holed conscience.

Here's my two cents:

1) There was no need to kill the Harveys. Cheryl knew when they were at work and simply could have slipped into (or broken into) their house and taken the money w/o killing them.

Although she would have been a suspect in a burglary, it's doubtful that people that have $150K in cash in their home would want the unwelcome attention that reporting a theft would cause.

2) Cheryl's irrational thought processes, her aged look and her lack of remorse are all behaviors and conditions exhibited by junkies. I have no problem believing that she was either a heavy user or an addict.

3) This (the drug use) could possibly explain the 800lb gorilla that even UM danced around: If she owed anybody money, who was it and what was it for?
The police would have had to discover that Cheryl owed either gamblers or a dealer money within days of linking her to the crime. Or Eddie would have known and given that he told the police everything else, he would have told them that.

4) Attempting to burn down the house and yet removing the bodies made little sense. Either burning down the house w/ the bodies in it or not burning the house and hiding the bodies would have accomplished what she was trying to do w/o having alerted anybody to the fact that a robbery had taken place.

That's another reason that the drug hypothesis holds water,IMO. The thought process used to make the above decisions seem like a "good decision" would have to be skewed by something. It may have just been greed and stupidity...but it seems like more.

5) I doubt that Eddie nor Cheryl will be released during their first parole bid (and probably not their second). They MAY get released toward the end of their sentence, but they shouldn't hold out much hope for that.

This case has always made me intrigued. If Cheryl Holland with the help of her common law husband needed the money so badly why wouldnt she have just asked her Aunt and Uncle whom she was allegedly very close with and was considered like a daughter to them?

It doesnt make any sense to me

Or she could have even just threatened them at gunpoint and taken the money. Murdering her own family members was wholly unnecessary.

I have looked under the Tennessee DOC website and i cant find her? Has she been paroled or died?

I just did a search and found that she and Ed Wooten are still incarcerated. However, like was mentioned earlier, their parole eligibility dates keep moving up as time goes on.

Cheryl will be eligible THIS SATURDAY, 12/3/16!
Ed has been eligible since 3/11/16, but either didn't have a hearing yet, or wasn't granted parole.

Has anyone ever uncovered what happened to the money? I know there's been plenty of speculation about her owing drug debts, but I find it incomprehensible that drug dealers in or around a small town like that would have let her get $100,000+ in debt to them (in 1990 dollars, mind you). She already had borrowed $ from other family members for fake medical treatments according to the segment, so the total debt actually would've been more.

Has anyone ever uncovered what happened to the money? I know there's been plenty of speculation about her owing drug debts, but I find it incomprehensible that drug dealers in or around a small town like that would have let her get $100,000+ in debt to them (in 1990 dollars, mind you). She already had borrowed $ from other family members for fake medical treatments according to the segment, so the total debt actually would've been more.

Good question. Cheryl was arrested while she was working at a convenience store, so she obviously wasn't living the high life off that $150,000 and likely didn't have it any more. I'd love to know what happened to it.

I never thought Cheryl Holland and/or Eddie Wooten were drug addicts or dealers. I think that the couple was probably strapped for cash simply by virtue of not being well-educated and working the poorly paying jobs available to them in the area (or, perhaps, being unemployed). I seem to remember Cheryl had a couple of young children at the time as well.

I knew I had seen a drug angle in one of these threads before. Glad to see I just didn't pull it out of thin air. Still 50/50 on that scenario though.

I never thought Cheryl Holland and/or Eddie Wooten were drug addicts or dealers. I think that the couple was probably strapped for cash simply by virtue of not being well-educated and working the poorly paying jobs available to them in the area (or, perhaps, being unemployed). I seem to remember Cheryl had a couple of young children at the time as well.

That sounds entirely possible and I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Whatever the reason, growing up watching UM, you learn right away that there are endless excuses/reasons people give when we try to comprehend why they did such horrifying things. And many times, it seems we'll never truly get an answer.

Why did that trucker try to flatten Jay Durham into a human pancake? Why did that Connecticut man shoot "Carol" in the face when the only thing she was guilty of was...driving to work?

Sometimes, the answer might be nothing more than some people are evil.

That sounds entirely possible and I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Whatever the reason, growing up watching UM, you learn right away that there are endless excuses/reasons people give when we try to comprehend why they did such horrifying things. And many times, it seems we'll never truly get an answer.

Why did that trucker try to flatten Jay Durham into a human pancake? Why did that Connecticut man shoot "Carol" in the face when the only thing she was guilty of was...driving to work?

Sometimes, the answer might be nothing more than some people are evil.

I agree wholeheartedly. I think back to when I decided to specialize in criminal law and it was undoubtedly shaped by cases just like these (and specifically the Montana double homicide covered in the Dannion Brinkley psychic segment.) I entered into this field because I wanted to 1) help society and 2) ultimately understand why people do the things they do.

It's rare, but I would say that in about 5-10% of my cases, we see horrible things happen because someone wants to hurt someone else. Plain and simple. No other reason. Some people really are just evil.

I agree wholeheartedly. I think back to when I decided to specialize in criminal law and it was undoubtedly shaped by cases just like these (and specifically the Montana double homicide covered in the Dannion Brinkley psychic segment.) I entered into this field because I wanted to 1) help society and 2) ultimately understand why people do the things they do.

It's rare, but I would say that in about 5-10% of my cases, we see horrible things happen because someone wants to hurt someone else. Plain and simple. No other reason. Some people really are just evil.
Well said. Very well said

Interesting that Cheryl Holland is eligible for parole in March.

Interesting that Cheryl Holland is eligible for parole in March.

Her parole hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2021. Source: TN Dept. Of Corrections

Her parole hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2021. Source: TN Dept. Of Corrections

Ah ok, UM Wiki needs to update their website.

When they found her, she was working at the Chevron in my neighborhood. I watched the broadcast when it aired, but I didn't recognize her.

I watched this one again last night, and I can't stop thinking about the possible motive in this case. The segment mentions that Cheryl had borrowed money from other family members (prior to the murder of the Harvey's) for various treatments of stomach cancer, but that was total b.s. Eddie Wooten claimed the same thing. So if they were constantly borrowing money from relatives prior to murdering the Harvey's, what caused them to become so desperate to murder them for the money? On the day of the murder, they picked up one of Cheryl's checks from her mother's house. My biggest issue with trying to rectify the motive is that it seems like they had money, and had money accessible from other relatives weeks prior to the murder, so why make the leap to murder? The segment makes no mention of any substantial debts, and it says that Cheryl was employed at the time. I know greed seems to be the prevailing theory, but I don't think the drug angle should be written off completely. It could explain the mysterious bearded man seen with Cheryl prior to and after the murders. They could have owed him a sizable debt. Which would also account for the eyewitness who saw Cheryl arguing with this man after the murders. And it would also explain why Wooten stayed behind after the murders.

I watched this one again last night, and I can't stop thinking about the possible motive in this case. The segment mentions that Cheryl had borrowed money from other family members (prior to the murder of the Harvey's) for various treatments of stomach cancer, but that was total b.s. Eddie Wooten claimed the same thing. So if they were constantly borrowing money from relatives prior to murdering the Harvey's, what caused them to become so desperate to murder them for the money? On the day of the murder, they picked up one of Cheryl's checks from her mother's house. My biggest issue with trying to rectify the motive is that it seems like they had money, and had money accessible from other relatives weeks prior to the murder, so why make the leap to murder? The segment makes no mention of any substantial debts, and it says that Cheryl was employed at the time. I know greed seems to be the prevailing theory, but I don't think the drug angle should be written off completely. It could explain the mysterious bearded man seen with Cheryl prior to and after the murders. They could have owed him a sizable debt. Which would also account for the eyewitness who saw Cheryl arguing with this man after the murders. And it would also explain why Wooten stayed behind after the murders.

Admittedly, I have not seen this one in quite some time, but I remember wondering if there was a drug problem or drug debt involved.

Did they ever ID the bearded man? I thought this was a detail that was only ever mentioned in the NBC broadcast and was subsequently omitted from later airings.

Admittedly, I have not seen this one in quite some time, but I remember wondering if there was a drug problem or drug debt involved.

Did they ever ID the bearded man? I thought this was a detail that was only ever mentioned in the NBC broadcast and was subsequently omitted from later airings.

Bearded guy was never ID'ed, but it's not edited out of the Prime version. Although they didn't show his composite sketch.

I always found it pretty telling that Cheryl had been working at a convenience store for six months prior to her capture, which seems to indicate she blew through that stolen $150,000 pretty quickly. Would not surprise me at all if she had to pay off a sizable debt.

When they found her, she was working at the Chevron in my neighborhood. I watched the broadcast when it aired, but I didn't recognize her.

Jon, do you know which gas station it was? I was thinking it was the one off of 2244?

I also found it interesting that they played up the angle that Cheryl was an unwilling pawn in the murders, and was possibly murdered by Eddie Wooten.

I also found it interesting that they played up the angle that Cheryl was an unwilling pawn in the murders, and was possibly murdered by Eddie Wooten.
I think there was a belief that a young mother could not possibly be that cruel: unfortunately we now know much better. The only logical explanation is that she was a hardcore drug addict and needed to pay off the debt and was 'cut off'. Otherwise, why not just ask politely? There is obviously something we don't know.

I also found it interesting that they played up the angle that Cheryl was an unwilling pawn in the murders, and was possibly murdered by Eddie Wooten.

Wasn't that just family members clinging to the hope that she couldn't have done such a thing? It's kind of annoying but natural and understandable they would feel that way.

I wonder how Cheryl's two kids are doing today. Her daughter would now be 31 and her son 26. They were left in the truck (the son just 6 weeks old) while mommy and daddy were inside the house doing that whole killing thing.

Wasn't that just family members clinging to the hope that she couldn't have done such a thing? It's kind of annoying but natural and understandable they would feel that way.

The whole bit with the bearded guy made it seem like she was being controlled or was fearful of this person, like he could've been the mastermind behind it all. Just thought it was interesting that even someone as obviously guilty as her got the benefit of the doubt.

Jon, do you know which gas station it was? I was thinking it was the one off of 2244?

Yes. Also called Bee Caves Rd. It's the Chevron in Rollingwood.

Chevron
2710 Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX 78746
(512) 328-3240

https://goo.gl/maps/cXAWS6hBoxt

It has bugged me a long time that I didn't recognize her! I was only a kid at the time though

I also found it interesting that they played up the angle that Cheryl was an unwilling pawn in the murders, and was possibly murdered by Eddie Wooten.

I think that angle was being played more by her sister-who was trying to paint her partner as the bad guy who corrupted her sweet innocent sister, when in reality he was just the patsy that pulled the trigger for her.

As for the bearded guy was there any video evidence from the sighting of him? If not it is most likely the witnesses were both mistaken-we all now know how infallible eyewitness testimony is-especially later on down the road.

That she doesn't appear to have told exactly what the deal was is worrying-was it really a heavy debt or just plain greed that she knew they had that money & wanted it? If the former & she has behaved in jail I would say that nearly 30 years is enough of a sentence, if the latter then she will be back on the street before turning 60, which is a worrying thought.

I never noticed how much older than 27 she looked until someone commented a few pages back - whether or not she orchestrated the murder for a drug debt, there was definitely some hard living involved there.

I never noticed how much older than 27 she looked until someone commented a few pages back - whether or not she orchestrated the murder for a drug debt, there was definitely some hard living involved there.

This is sort of an Unsolved Mysteries tradition, featuring people who look much older than they really are.

Mary Ann Perez was only 36 when she disappeared and you wouldn't know it from the one picture they showed of her. The same went for Charles Morgan who was 39 when he was killed.

And Gail Delano, who from the story you would swear she was a woman in her 50's who was paranoid of dying alone, was actually only 34 when she died. :crazy:

It was the old lady glasses and hairstyle. I wonder why some women of that era styled themselves that way?

Notice that in her booking photo after she was arrested in Texas, Cheryl is without her glasses and she looked 10 years younger than in any of the photos shown of her in the original segment.

As for the men, beards generally make you look older. Look at Jerry Strickland, he was only 25 when they showed his segment.

The same went for Charles Morgan who was 39 when he was killed.

So my jaw just dropped.

So my jaw just dropped.

Gail Delano being 34 got me. 34?!?

Looks like Eddie Wooten's parole was denied because his current status is still listed as incarcerated. He has a parole hearing scheduled for April of next year. Cheryl has a parole hearing scheduled for November of 2021. I finally managed to luck into finding where Joe and Mattie Harvey's garage/gas station was. You can find it here (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.3271216,-85.3108682,3a,90y,243.18h,82.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sbHOLYcgadaWF57nHGzplJg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664).

Wow! Good find. Where is the house next door that they lived in?

Wow! Good find. Where is the house next door that they lived in?

Very likely that it was a total loss, considering what happened there

Of course the question I have re Ms. Holland's involvement is the fact that Eddie Wooten quickly sang like a canary and did his best to make it seem as though she was the mastermind while he was a dumb dupe who acted like she was his mommy would would send him to bed without supper if he didn't shoot the elderly couple after robbing them. If she was the one who was coerced, then why did she FLEE (and leave her tiny children behind) instead of going to cops with HER version of the story (so at least she'd have more chance of keeping her kids) . We'll likely never know the whole truth but I think somehow each of them were more willing to carry out the murders, arson and disposal than they admitted.

Wow! Good find. Where is the house next door that they lived in?

It's actually the first house up the hill to the left. It was the same setup in the UM segment.

Of course the question I have re Ms. Holland's involvement is the fact that Eddie Wooten quickly sang like a canary and did his best to make it seem as though she was the mastermind while he was a dumb dupe who acted like she was his mommy would would send him to bed without supper if he didn't shoot the elderly couple after robbing them. If she was the one who was coerced, then why did she FLEE (and leave her tiny children behind) instead of going to cops with HER version of the story (so at least she'd have more chance of keeping her kids) . We'll likely never know the whole truth but I think somehow each of them were more willing to carry out the murders, arson and disposal than they admitted.

Wooten's confession claimed that Cheryl was the "mastermind", but also was what led to the discovery of the Harvey's bodies. But he also confessed to being the one to get the gun, and shooting Joe. He says that Cheryl shot Teat. They then got rid of the bodies before Cheryl returned to the house later and torched it. Her bloody print was found on the gas can, not Wooten's. So that lends credence to Wooten's confession. Plus, Wooten stuck around the area while Cheryl was the one who fled, which IMO, bolsters the fact that she was the mastermind behind everything.

It's actually the first house up the hill to the left. It was the same setup in the UM segment.

I could have sworn it was a trailer just a few feet from the store? I also remember it was burned very badly? Did I misremember?

I could have sworn it was a trailer just a few feet from the store? I also remember it was burned very badly? Did I misremember?

The interior was burned, but not the house completely. By the time UM was their to film their re-enactment, it looks like the house had been restored.

I still scratch my head over this one: why not ask first before proceeding with the killing even if the odds are overwhelmingly against her? What did she have to lose? They had a gun and planned to kill anyway so it's not like they were going to pull out a weapon from under the couch cushion.

If I were a psychopath I would imagine I would try to avoid getting my hands dirty first. If they resisted, it's no big deal since I could easily overpower them.

Wooten's confession claimed that Cheryl was the "mastermind", but also was what led to the discovery of the Harvey's bodies. But he also confessed to being the one to get the gun, and shooting Joe. He says that Cheryl shot Teat. They then got rid of the bodies before Cheryl returned to the house later and torched it. Her bloody print was found on the gas can, not Wooten's. So that lends credence to Wooten's confession. Plus, Wooten stuck around the area while Cheryl was the one who fled, which IMO, bolsters the fact that she was the mastermind behind everything.

Cheryl actually returned to the house the next day and tried to blend in with curious onlookers who watched the police remove evidence. It was believed by police that she and Wooten expected the house to be burnt to a crisp by then and when it wasn't (and evidence was being collected) THAT was when she fled.

Cheryl actually returned to the house the next day and tried to blend in with curious onlookers who watched the police remove evidence. It was believed by police that she and Wooten expected the house to be burnt to a crisp by then and when it wasn't (and evidence was being collected) THAT was when she fled.

I agree that DOES make it seem more likely than not that she was a willing participant if not the actual mastermind in the crimes. However; I believe she STILL could have at least had more chance to have law enforcement consider her side had she stayed in town and TOLD it- to say nothing of possibly keeping custody of her small children. Yet, by running and leaving them behind, she somewhat blew both options.

Looks like Eddie Wooten's parole was denied because his current status is still listed as incarcerated. He has a parole hearing scheduled for April of next year. Cheryl has a parole hearing scheduled for November of 2021. I finally managed to luck into finding where Joe and Mattie Harvey's garage/gas station was. You can find it here (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.3271216,-85.3108682,3a,90y,243.18h,82.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sbHOLYcgadaWF57nHGzplJg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664).

What a comfy little setup they had

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Nearly 3 decades in prison - They look a lot older than they actually are.

I didn't know you could wear rings or jewelry in prison.

Eddie Wooten has a parole hearing next month. He was eligible to be released in 2016. I wonder if he'll get paroled this time.

I'm assuming both of their paroles were denied, because it now says that they are eligible in 2025. It looks like the Harvey's old gas station was repurposed and sold as a house (https://www.google.com/maps/place/3644+Henson+Gap+Rd,+Dunlap,+TN+37327/@35.3270634,-85.3108314,3a,75y,244.15h,76.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQKMdFV8H8VnJuDttd4A6Mg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x8860ed0bd85e8a37:0x23a46e508912d6ba!8m2!3d35.3271113!4d-85.3102491).

I didn't know you could wear rings or jewelry in prison.

I'm guessing it's a religious necklace, like a cross or something. I think, given how thin the chain is, it would be allowed because you couldn't harm yourself or someone else without that thin chain giving....

...and it's sentences like THOSE that I type where I realize that I'm probably not as "normal" as most people. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

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Nearly 3 decades in prison - They look a lot older than they actually are.

Don't care about them. But I do wonder how their children are doing today. Their daughter would be 35 and their son would be 30 now.

Next month will mark the 30th anniversary of the murders as well.

https://foil.app.tn.gov/foil/details.jsp

Eddie Wooten is dead. Cheryl Holland has a parole hearing in November of 2025.