The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office has reopened a cold homicide case regarding a Leesville man who was originally thought to have committed suicide.

On November 23, 2014, VPSO received a 911 call from a woman saying that her boyfriend had just shot himself at a home on Section Line Road. When deputies arrived on scene, Danny Holt, 38, was found dead.

The woman that made the call, who later identified herself as his girlfriend, had left the scene but was located at a family member’s home next door.

During questioning, VPSO said the girlfriend explained that she and Holt had been in a verbal argument when he got a rifle and shot himself under his chin.

The girlfriend’s clothing was collected and sent for forensic examination. Also, gun powder residue swabs were collected from her hands and sent for forensic analysis.

VPSO said a forensic pathology examination of Holt’s body determined that he had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of his skull near the back of his ear. A forensic examination of the clothing and blood spatter evidence at the scene indicates that Holt was standing over a chair in which his girlfriend was sitting in at the time he was shot.

VPSO said forensic data concluded that the weapon used in the murder was fired from a short distance and was not a contact wound beneath Holt’s chin as the girlfriend had indicated. Gun powder residue tests concluded that the girlfriend did not have any gun powder residue on her hands. Expert analysis of the blood spatter concluded that Holt was shot in the back of the head while he was facing his girlfriend.

VPSO concluded that when Holt fell to the floor, it would have provided his girlfriend with a clear view of the shooter. VPSO said the measurements taken of the length of Holt’s arm and the length of the firearm made it physically impossible for him to inflict the fatal wound to himself. Experts also noted that the trajectory of the projectile clearly showed that the end of the firearm was distant to the wound.

Throughout the investigation, VPSO said that Holt’s girlfriend continually insisted that he committed suicide, which is in direct contrast to the evidence.

VPSO also said the girlfriend proved to be uncooperative in the investigation, and they had no doubts that she knew the identity of Holt’s killer but continually refused to identify the person responsible. They said she insisted that she and Holt were alone in the residence at the time of the incident.

Danny Holt was a son, a father, and a friend to many. He was a social person and enjoyed playing music.

VPSO is asking that anyone with information regarding the case to contact Detective Jerry Twyman or Detective Rhonda Jordan at 337-238-1311.

https://www.kalb.com/content/news/VPSO-reopens-2014-cold-homicide-case-563729251.html