Two people arrested in Florida following the murders of an elderly Alabama couple reportedly stayed across the street from the couple in the weeks leading up to the slayings.
According to AL.com, Zachary Phillips, 23, and Kristen Gullion, 30, both felons, haven’t been charged for Mary, 67, and Joe “Steve”, 68, Holt’s deaths. While police haven’t said how the Holts were killed, sources told the outlet that at least one of them were stabbed to death.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the victims’ uninjured grandchild led officers to their bodies on August 2. The girl—covered in blood—was reportedly wandering the streets unattended, prompting a neighbor to call police.
On Thursday, Miami police arrested Gullion on an outstanding receiving stolen property warrant after she was found in the slain couple’s stolen Honda Civic. Police said Gullion had illegally parked at a roundabout and tried to flee in the vehicle after an officer discovered it was stolen from Alabama. She also claimed the vehicle belonged to a friend, they said.
According to WBRC, Phillips was arrested 20 miles away in Hollywood on Friday after he was spotted in a Ford Mustang that was reported stolen out of Miami Beach. The driver, Vivian De La Rosa Toniana, allegedly led police on a chase that ended when she crashed into a street sign at Dixie Highway and Roosevelt Street. She was arrested at the scene.
Phillips was in the passenger seat and reportedly fled on foot, prompting police to deploy their SWAT team K9 unit. A K9 officer found Philip a short time later a hiding in a front yard and took him into custody, the news station reported. Since then, he’s been charged with first-degree property theft, third-degree grand theft, trespassing, and resisting arrest.
While police haven’t explained how Phillips and Gullion crossed paths with the Holts, neighbors told AL.com that the pair were staying at a nearby home that was previously run as a drug halfway house. Dwight Hutchinson, director of Expect a Miracle treatment center, explained that the center had ended their lease a few months ago and the couple’s friend, a graduate of the program, subsequently leased the house.
Neighbors said Phillips and Gullion had been staying at the home for several weeks and that they were often seen smoking cigarettes on the front porch.
Birmingham police are currently in Florida as they conduct their investigation.
[Featured Image: Joe and Mary Holt/GoFundMe]
