Holbrook pleads in husband's slaying
Traverse City Record Eagle
Traverse City Record Eagle
July 13, 2010
http://record-eagle.com/latest/x378273258/Holbrook-pleads-in-husbands-slaying
BEULAH —Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, a state police sergeant.
Holbrook's attorneys reached a last-minute plea deal with Benzie County prosecutors, a decision agreed upon a day before her murder trial was set to begin.
"It came out of left field," said Benzie Sheriff Rory Heckman. "We never saw it coming."
Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer has yet to schedule a sentencing date, Heckman said.
Benzie County authorities last year charged Holbrook, 48, with an open count of murder in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, state police Sgt. Melvin P. Holbrook, who was stationed at the Traverse City post.
Authorities contend she shot her husband with his service weapon as he slept in their Benzie County home, then called 911 and reported the incident.
Joni Holbrook Pleads Guilty In Husbands Death
Up North Live
http://record-eagle.com/latest/x378273258/Holbrook-pleads-in-husbands-slaying
BEULAH —Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, a state police sergeant.
Holbrook's attorneys reached a last-minute plea deal with Benzie County prosecutors, a decision agreed upon a day before her murder trial was set to begin.
"It came out of left field," said Benzie Sheriff Rory Heckman. "We never saw it coming."
Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer has yet to schedule a sentencing date, Heckman said.
Benzie County authorities last year charged Holbrook, 48, with an open count of murder in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, state police Sgt. Melvin P. Holbrook, who was stationed at the Traverse City post.
Authorities contend she shot her husband with his service weapon as he slept in their Benzie County home, then called 911 and reported the incident.
Joni Holbrook Pleads Guilty In Husbands Death
Up North Live
July 13, 2010
BENZIE CO. -- A Benzie County woman has Pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the death of her husband, State Police Sergeant Melvin Holbrook.
Joni Holbrook's murder trial was supposed to begin Wednesday in Benzie County.
Joni Holbrook read a statement to the court Tuesday afternoon that on August 10, 2009, she got out of bed, went into the garage and got her husbands service weapon out of his vehicle, walked back into the bedroom and shot Sgt. Holbrook three times.
She said it was dark and did not see where she was pointing the gun on his body.
She said she was about three feet away when she fired the three shots.
In the agreement with the Benzie County Prosecutor the sentencing cap was set at a maximum of 15 years in prison.
But under that agreement the judge said Tuesday the maximum sentence can actually only be two-thirds of the 15 years, so Holbrook is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
No sentencing date has been set at this time.
BENZIE CO. -- A Benzie County woman has Pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the death of her husband, State Police Sergeant Melvin Holbrook.
Joni Holbrook's murder trial was supposed to begin Wednesday in Benzie County.
Joni Holbrook read a statement to the court Tuesday afternoon that on August 10, 2009, she got out of bed, went into the garage and got her husbands service weapon out of his vehicle, walked back into the bedroom and shot Sgt. Holbrook three times.
She said it was dark and did not see where she was pointing the gun on his body.
She said she was about three feet away when she fired the three shots.
In the agreement with the Benzie County Prosecutor the sentencing cap was set at a maximum of 15 years in prison.
But under that agreement the judge said Tuesday the maximum sentence can actually only be two-thirds of the 15 years, so Holbrook is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
No sentencing date has been set at this time.
Holbrook pleads guilty to killing husband
She committed the act with spouse’s service revolver
The Daily Reporter
Jul 14, 2010
http://www.thedailyreporter.com/news/police_and_fire/x380560690/Holbrook-pleads-guilty-to-killing-husband
Beulah, Mich. — The wife of late Michigan State Police (MSP) Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the Aug. 10, 2009 shooting death of her husband in Benzie Circuit Court Tuesday before trial was to begin.
Joni Holbrook told Judge James Batzer she shot her husband while he slept because he mentally, physically and sexually abused her for several years.
The 53-year-old Holbrook served 23 years with the MSP, starting his career in Coldwater in 1986, and also working at posts in Ionia, Manistee, Richmond and Traverse City, where he worked at the time of his death.
The night of the shooting Joni testified she got up sat on her sofa for over 20 minutes then went to his patrol car, where she got his service revolver and returned to the upstairs bedroom and she fired the fatal shot while he was asleep.
Joni Holbrook Pleads Guilty
Interlochen Public Radio
She committed the act with spouse’s service revolver
The Daily Reporter
Jul 14, 2010
http://www.thedailyreporter.com/news/police_and_fire/x380560690/Holbrook-pleads-guilty-to-killing-husband
Beulah, Mich. — The wife of late Michigan State Police (MSP) Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the Aug. 10, 2009 shooting death of her husband in Benzie Circuit Court Tuesday before trial was to begin.
Joni Holbrook told Judge James Batzer she shot her husband while he slept because he mentally, physically and sexually abused her for several years.
The 53-year-old Holbrook served 23 years with the MSP, starting his career in Coldwater in 1986, and also working at posts in Ionia, Manistee, Richmond and Traverse City, where he worked at the time of his death.
The night of the shooting Joni testified she got up sat on her sofa for over 20 minutes then went to his patrol car, where she got his service revolver and returned to the upstairs bedroom and she fired the fatal shot while he was asleep.
Joni Holbrook Pleads Guilty
Interlochen Public Radio
July 14, 2010
http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/9002
Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering her husband, Melvin Paul Holbrook.
Holbrook was a state police officer and his wife confessed to shooting him three times with his own service revolver. He was in bed at their home in Benzie County when he was shot last August.
Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, with an agreement that she serve no more than ten years in prison.
"I regret the decision that I have made, and I would take that moment back in time. I plead guilty today and I'm ready to take my punishment, as set by the court," Holbrook read a prepared statement in court.
Judge James Batzer still must decide on a sentence.
Joni Holbrook's trial was set to begin today. Her lawyers had planned to use an unusual defense called, "battered wife syndrome." They were going to argue that Holbrook was regularly raped and even tortured by her husband, and that she had no other way to protect herself from future abuse.
Holbrook enters guilty plea
Joni: 'I ... returned to the house with the gun and shot him in his sleep'
Traverse City Record Eagle
http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/9002
Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering her husband, Melvin Paul Holbrook.
Holbrook was a state police officer and his wife confessed to shooting him three times with his own service revolver. He was in bed at their home in Benzie County when he was shot last August.
Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, with an agreement that she serve no more than ten years in prison.
"I regret the decision that I have made, and I would take that moment back in time. I plead guilty today and I'm ready to take my punishment, as set by the court," Holbrook read a prepared statement in court.
Judge James Batzer still must decide on a sentence.
Joni Holbrook's trial was set to begin today. Her lawyers had planned to use an unusual defense called, "battered wife syndrome." They were going to argue that Holbrook was regularly raped and even tortured by her husband, and that she had no other way to protect herself from future abuse.
Holbrook enters guilty plea
Joni: 'I ... returned to the house with the gun and shot him in his sleep'
Traverse City Record Eagle
July 14, 2010
BEULAH — Tina Lehn thinks it's for the best that those tied to a Michigan State Police sergeant's slaying won't endure a long, drawn-out trial.
Lehn has known accused murderer Joni Holbrook since middle school and was relieved to hear she agreed Tuesday to an 11th-hour deal in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, Melvin Paul Holbrook.
Holbrook pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder, and that means a trial expected to last three weeks won't be necessary. She told Benzie Circuit Court Judge James Batzer she shot her husband as he slept.
"I got out of bed where he was sleeping, sat on the couch in the living room for about 20 minutes with my head spinning out of control, and I went to the garage where his vehicle was parked; reached into the vehicle where he kept his Michigan State Police service revolver; returned to the house with the gun, and shot him in his sleep," she said.
Her plea likely is a relief to loved ones on both sides, Lehn said.
"I'm just glad the families don't have to go through a big long trial ... It's been a long road for both of them," she said. "Joni's parents, I can't even imagine what they're going through, let alone Paul's family."
Joni Holbrook initially did not give investigators a motive for the slaying, but during her plea said Melvin Holbrook mentally, physically and sexually abused her for several years.
Melvin Holbrook, 53, spent 23 years with the state police and worked as a desk sergeant at the Traverse City post at the time of his death. He previously served at posts in Ionia, Coldwater, Manistee and Richmond.
Holbrook's trial was set to begin this morning, but the deal was reached Tuesday afternoon. She'll be sentenced to no more than 15 years in prison, Holbrook attorney Jesse L. Williams said.
"To go from a life sentence to a 15-year cap, it's absolutely a win," Williams said, referring to the mandatory life sentence Holbrook would have faced if convicted of first-degree murder. "It's the safe choice for her. We feel that, considering the other outcome, this is a good resolution. She's glad that she's going to be able to have a second chance at life."
The Benzie County Sheriff's Department investigated the case. Sheriff Rory Heckman is pleased with Joni Holbrook's plea, but said the decision was unexpected.
"It came out of left field," Heckman said. "We never saw it coming."
State police Lt. Bill Elliott was Melvin Holbrook's longtime friend and former boss at the Traverse City post. He said a plea often spares family members stress and taxpayers a trial's financial burden.
"If Sheriff Rory Heckman and his people, along with the prosecutor, think that this is the best thing for this particular case, then I would be happy with that," he said.
Scott Rothermel, a former state police trooper who trained under Melvin Holbrook at the Traverse City post, said he's glad Joni Holbrook entered a plea.
"While her plea won't bring Paul back, I'm pleased she accepted responsibility for his murder," he said. "I hope she spends the full 15 years behind bars in prison."
The case captured the region's attention. Lehn and co-worker Tammie McLain, also a longtime friend of Joni Holbrook, remain puzzled by the entire incident.
They can't believe Joni Holbrook was able to commit such an act and wonder what made her do it.
"When I listen to the 911 tape, she sounded like she was ordering a pizza. She was so dispassionate," McLain said. "She had to have snapped."
BEULAH — Tina Lehn thinks it's for the best that those tied to a Michigan State Police sergeant's slaying won't endure a long, drawn-out trial.
Lehn has known accused murderer Joni Holbrook since middle school and was relieved to hear she agreed Tuesday to an 11th-hour deal in the Aug. 10 shooting death of her husband, Melvin Paul Holbrook.
Holbrook pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder, and that means a trial expected to last three weeks won't be necessary. She told Benzie Circuit Court Judge James Batzer she shot her husband as he slept.
"I got out of bed where he was sleeping, sat on the couch in the living room for about 20 minutes with my head spinning out of control, and I went to the garage where his vehicle was parked; reached into the vehicle where he kept his Michigan State Police service revolver; returned to the house with the gun, and shot him in his sleep," she said.
Her plea likely is a relief to loved ones on both sides, Lehn said.
"I'm just glad the families don't have to go through a big long trial ... It's been a long road for both of them," she said. "Joni's parents, I can't even imagine what they're going through, let alone Paul's family."
Joni Holbrook initially did not give investigators a motive for the slaying, but during her plea said Melvin Holbrook mentally, physically and sexually abused her for several years.
Melvin Holbrook, 53, spent 23 years with the state police and worked as a desk sergeant at the Traverse City post at the time of his death. He previously served at posts in Ionia, Coldwater, Manistee and Richmond.
Holbrook's trial was set to begin this morning, but the deal was reached Tuesday afternoon. She'll be sentenced to no more than 15 years in prison, Holbrook attorney Jesse L. Williams said.
"To go from a life sentence to a 15-year cap, it's absolutely a win," Williams said, referring to the mandatory life sentence Holbrook would have faced if convicted of first-degree murder. "It's the safe choice for her. We feel that, considering the other outcome, this is a good resolution. She's glad that she's going to be able to have a second chance at life."
The Benzie County Sheriff's Department investigated the case. Sheriff Rory Heckman is pleased with Joni Holbrook's plea, but said the decision was unexpected.
"It came out of left field," Heckman said. "We never saw it coming."
State police Lt. Bill Elliott was Melvin Holbrook's longtime friend and former boss at the Traverse City post. He said a plea often spares family members stress and taxpayers a trial's financial burden.
"If Sheriff Rory Heckman and his people, along with the prosecutor, think that this is the best thing for this particular case, then I would be happy with that," he said.
Scott Rothermel, a former state police trooper who trained under Melvin Holbrook at the Traverse City post, said he's glad Joni Holbrook entered a plea.
"While her plea won't bring Paul back, I'm pleased she accepted responsibility for his murder," he said. "I hope she spends the full 15 years behind bars in prison."
The case captured the region's attention. Lehn and co-worker Tammie McLain, also a longtime friend of Joni Holbrook, remain puzzled by the entire incident.
They can't believe Joni Holbrook was able to commit such an act and wonder what made her do it.
"When I listen to the 911 tape, she sounded like she was ordering a pizza. She was so dispassionate," McLain said. "She had to have snapped."
Joni Holbrook, center, will be sentenced to no more than 15 years in prison, according to her lawyer, Jesse L. Williams. Eric VanDussen/Special to the Record-Eagle
EXCERPT FROM HOLBROOK'S STATEMENT
Excerpt from Joni Holbrook's statement Tuesday in Benzie Circuit Court:
"I married Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook with the hopes of a long, loving relationship.
He quickly became very controlling, emotionally abusive, and later in the marriage, very sexually abusive.
He manipulated and abused me excessively for 10 years.
On the night of the incident, Aug. 10, 2009, I was completely worn down, torn down, and I couldn't take anymore.
I snapped from all of the abuse, stress and duress he had put me under for the entire term of the marriage.
I got out of bed where he was sleeping, sat on the couch in the living room for about 20 minutes with my head spinning out of control, and I went to the garage where his vehicle was parked; reached into the vehicle where he kept his Michigan State Police service revolver; returned to the house with the gun, and shot him in his sleep.
I regret the decision that I have made, and I would take that moment back in time.
I plead guilty today, and I'm ready to take my punishment as set by the court."
Plea excerpt courtesy of Eric VanDussen.
Holbrook to remain in jail
She awaits sentencing for killing husband
Traverse City Record Eagle
She awaits sentencing for killing husband
Traverse City Record Eagle
July 15, 2010
http://record-eagle.com/local/x378274214/Holbrook-to-remain-in-jail
BEULAH — Joni Holbrook likely will remain in a Benzie County Jail cell for another month as she awaits sentencing for killing her state police sergeant husband.
Officials will conduct a pre-sentence investigation before Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer decides how many years Joni Holbrook, 48, will spend behind bars. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
"They typically take four-to-six weeks, but if she doesn't have a prior criminal history that we have to go looking for in other states, it could be sooner," Batzer said.
Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty on Tuesday to second-degree murder after she agreed to a last-minute deal in the Aug. 10, 2009, shooting death of her husband, Melvin Paul Holbrook.
As part of the deal, Joni Holbrook will spend no more than 15 years in prison. The prosecutor's offer shocked Williams, who this week planned to try the case. Trial was set to begin Wednesday.
"I was surprised because we're dealing with a state trooper that was shot," he said. "I think that (prosecutors) realized that we were actually bringing a real defense to the table. All along, I was saying, 'If you give a reasonable plea to manslaughter, we'll consider it.' That's what this is."
Second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison, while those convicted of manslaughter spend up to 15 years in prison.
Benzie Prosecutor John B. Daugherty did not respond to calls for comment.
Joni Holbrook defended her actions as she entered her plea, and told Batzer that Melvin Holbrook mentally, physically and sexually abused her.
"I snapped from all of the abuse, stress and duress he had put me under for the entire term of the marriage," she said. "I regret the decision that I have made, and I would take that moment back in time."
Williams said his client will require extensive therapy.
"Obviously, when somebody lives through what she lived through, it's going to take the rest of her life to heal," he said. "She knows that she has a long road to recovery here. Now she can start focusing on recovery."
Michigan Department of Community Health representatives evaluate Joni Holbrook, among other inmates, each week to determine where she's placed in the Benzie County Jail. She remains in a female population cell, and has not exhibited suicidal tendencies since her arrest, Sheriff Rory Heckman said.
http://record-eagle.com/local/x378274214/Holbrook-to-remain-in-jail
BEULAH — Joni Holbrook likely will remain in a Benzie County Jail cell for another month as she awaits sentencing for killing her state police sergeant husband.
Officials will conduct a pre-sentence investigation before Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer decides how many years Joni Holbrook, 48, will spend behind bars. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
"They typically take four-to-six weeks, but if she doesn't have a prior criminal history that we have to go looking for in other states, it could be sooner," Batzer said.
Joni Holbrook pleaded guilty on Tuesday to second-degree murder after she agreed to a last-minute deal in the Aug. 10, 2009, shooting death of her husband, Melvin Paul Holbrook.
As part of the deal, Joni Holbrook will spend no more than 15 years in prison. The prosecutor's offer shocked Williams, who this week planned to try the case. Trial was set to begin Wednesday.
"I was surprised because we're dealing with a state trooper that was shot," he said. "I think that (prosecutors) realized that we were actually bringing a real defense to the table. All along, I was saying, 'If you give a reasonable plea to manslaughter, we'll consider it.' That's what this is."
Second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison, while those convicted of manslaughter spend up to 15 years in prison.
Benzie Prosecutor John B. Daugherty did not respond to calls for comment.
Joni Holbrook defended her actions as she entered her plea, and told Batzer that Melvin Holbrook mentally, physically and sexually abused her.
"I snapped from all of the abuse, stress and duress he had put me under for the entire term of the marriage," she said. "I regret the decision that I have made, and I would take that moment back in time."
Williams said his client will require extensive therapy.
"Obviously, when somebody lives through what she lived through, it's going to take the rest of her life to heal," he said. "She knows that she has a long road to recovery here. Now she can start focusing on recovery."
Michigan Department of Community Health representatives evaluate Joni Holbrook, among other inmates, each week to determine where she's placed in the Benzie County Jail. She remains in a female population cell, and has not exhibited suicidal tendencies since her arrest, Sheriff Rory Heckman said.
Holbrook pleads guilty to second-degree murder
The Examiner
July 23, 2010
http://www.examiner.com/headline-in-traverse-city/holbrook-pleads-guilty-to-second-degree-murder
The Examiner
July 23, 2010
http://www.examiner.com/headline-in-traverse-city/holbrook-pleads-guilty-to-second-degree-murder
Joni Holbrook stands with her defense team as she enters her guilty plea on July 13 Credit: Eric L. VanDussen.
Joni Holbrook entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder and has admitted that she killed her husband. A last-minute plea deal was reached on the day before Holbrook was to stand trail. She was facing a mandatory life sentence if convicted of first-degree murder.
Holbrook made the following statement in open court on July 13:
“I married Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook with the hopes of a long, loving relationship. He quickly became very controlling, emotionally abusive, and later in the marriage, very sexually abusive. He manipulated and abused me excessively for 10 years. On the night of the incident, Aug. 10, 2009, I was completely worn down, torn down, and I couldn't take anymore. I snapped from all of the abuse, stress and duress he had put me under for the entire term of the marriage. I got out of bed where he was sleeping, sat on the couch in the living room for about 20 minutes with my head spinning out of control, and I went to the garage where his vehicle was parked; reached into the vehicle where he kept his Michigan State Police service revolver; returned to the house with the gun, and shot him in his sleep. I regret the decision that I have made, and I would take that moment back in time. I plead guilty today, and I'm ready to take my punishment as set by the court.”
Holbrook also acknowledged that she knew what she was doing when she killed her husband.
Benzie County Prosecutor John Daugherty approved a 15 year maximum sentencing cap for Holbrook. Circuit Judge James Batzer informed her that “the Court is not bound to follow the sentence recommendation agreed to by the prosecutor and if the Court chooses not to follow it you will be allowed to withdraw your plea.”
Holbrook’s attorney, Jesse Williams said that he doesn’t understand why it took Daugherty so long to offer a reasonable plea to his client. Daugherty filed several motions to preclude expert witness testimony at trail regarding Battered Woman Syndrome, but Batzer rebuffed his arguments each time. “She was a severely abused woman and she’ll receive the therapy she needs while serving her sentence,” said Williams.
A pre-sentencing report must be completed by the Circuit Court’s probation department before Holbrook is sentenced. Her sentencing is currently scheduled for August 10, which is exactly one year from the day that she killed her husband. She will be credited with approximately 10 months that she has already spent in custody.
Joni Holbrook Sentenced Details
Interlochen News
August 10, 2010
http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/9349
Joni Holbrook will serve at least six years in jail, and up to 15 years, for shooting her husband while he was sleeping. Holbrook was sentenced today in Benzie County court.
In a compromise deal, Holbrook pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Judge James Batzer said in court that his sentence reflected that deal, which he called, "rational."
But Batzer also said he believed Joni Holbrook had other means to leave her husband.
"This defendant had many opportunities to walk away, to get away, to stay away," he said.
The judge mentioned two marriage separations, and also hospitalizations for her own suicide attempts, when Holbrook could have fled the relationship.
The defense had argued that she was severely abused by her husband and victim, Michigan State Police Officer Melvin Paul Holbrook.
August 10, 2010
http://ipr.interlochen.org/ipr-news-features/episode/9349
Joni Holbrook will serve at least six years in jail, and up to 15 years, for shooting her husband while he was sleeping. Holbrook was sentenced today in Benzie County court.
In a compromise deal, Holbrook pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Judge James Batzer said in court that his sentence reflected that deal, which he called, "rational."
But Batzer also said he believed Joni Holbrook had other means to leave her husband.
"This defendant had many opportunities to walk away, to get away, to stay away," he said.
The judge mentioned two marriage separations, and also hospitalizations for her own suicide attempts, when Holbrook could have fled the relationship.
The defense had argued that she was severely abused by her husband and victim, Michigan State Police Officer Melvin Paul Holbrook.
Benzie Co. woman sentenced in husband's killing
Up North Live
Up North Live
08.10.2010
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=494837
BENZIE COUNTY -- A Benzie County woman who admitted to killing her Michigan State Police Sgt. husband will spend at least the next 5 years in prison.
Joni Holbrook was sentenced for the crime Tuesday. She will go to prison for a minimum of six years and a maximum of 15 years for shooting her husband, Melvin Holbrook to death last August. Joni Holbrook will get credit for 276 days she has already served behind bars.
A day before Holbrook's trial was set to begin, she pleaded guilty to second degree murder. Holbrook told the court she got out of bed went into the garage and got her husband's service weapon out of his vehicle. She then walked back into the bedroom and shot her husband three times. Holbrook told the court she was mentally, physically, and sexually abused and tortured by her husband for ten years.
Tuesday's sentencing took more than two hours because of testimony from both sides of the case.
Holbrook sentenced to 6 to 15 years
The Record Eagle
Aug 10, 2010
http://record-eagle.com/archive/x2018348171/Holbrook-sentenced-to-6-to-15-years
BEULAH — A Benzie County judge today sentenced Joni Holbrook to 6 to 15 years in prison for fatally shooting her husband — a state police sergeant — one year ago.
Joni Holbrook agreed to plead to second degree murder last month on the eve of her trial, with the understanding she’d be sentenced to no more than 15 years in prison for killing Melvin Paul Holbrook, 53, with his service revolver while he slept in the couple’s Benzie County home.
Melvin Holbrook was a sergeant at the Michigan State Police post in Traverse City.
Joni Holbrook’s attorneys and supporters portrayed her as an abused spouse.
Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer called the law “an imperfect vehicle” when he sentenced her.
“There’s no answer to the pain of the decedent’s family in any sentence this court imposes,” he said.
Meleen Froman, Melvin Holbrook’s sister, traveled here from Oklahoma for the sentencing.
“I just think it’s a mockery,” she said.
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=494837
BENZIE COUNTY -- A Benzie County woman who admitted to killing her Michigan State Police Sgt. husband will spend at least the next 5 years in prison.
Joni Holbrook was sentenced for the crime Tuesday. She will go to prison for a minimum of six years and a maximum of 15 years for shooting her husband, Melvin Holbrook to death last August. Joni Holbrook will get credit for 276 days she has already served behind bars.
A day before Holbrook's trial was set to begin, she pleaded guilty to second degree murder. Holbrook told the court she got out of bed went into the garage and got her husband's service weapon out of his vehicle. She then walked back into the bedroom and shot her husband three times. Holbrook told the court she was mentally, physically, and sexually abused and tortured by her husband for ten years.
Tuesday's sentencing took more than two hours because of testimony from both sides of the case.
Holbrook sentenced to 6 to 15 years
The Record Eagle
Aug 10, 2010
http://record-eagle.com/archive/x2018348171/Holbrook-sentenced-to-6-to-15-years
BEULAH — A Benzie County judge today sentenced Joni Holbrook to 6 to 15 years in prison for fatally shooting her husband — a state police sergeant — one year ago.
Joni Holbrook agreed to plead to second degree murder last month on the eve of her trial, with the understanding she’d be sentenced to no more than 15 years in prison for killing Melvin Paul Holbrook, 53, with his service revolver while he slept in the couple’s Benzie County home.
Melvin Holbrook was a sergeant at the Michigan State Police post in Traverse City.
Joni Holbrook’s attorneys and supporters portrayed her as an abused spouse.
Benzie Circuit Judge James M. Batzer called the law “an imperfect vehicle” when he sentenced her.
“There’s no answer to the pain of the decedent’s family in any sentence this court imposes,” he said.
Meleen Froman, Melvin Holbrook’s sister, traveled here from Oklahoma for the sentencing.
“I just think it’s a mockery,” she said.
She will serve 6 to 15 years for shooting husband
The Record Eagle
Aug 11, 2010
http://record-eagle.com/local/x1189441656/Joni-Holbrook-sentenced-in-slaying
Joni Holbrook
Family and friends waited hours inside the courtroom Tuesday to find out how long Joni Holbrook, 48, of Beulah, would spend behind bars for killing her husband, state police Sgt. Melvin Paul Holbrook.
And with one brief statement, Benzie Circuit Judge James Batzer relieved that anticipation. Six to 15 years, he said.
Batzer sentenced Holbrook to prison exactly one year after she shot her husband in his bed with his service weapon. Melvin Holbrook was 53.
"I'm just relieved," said Ashley Dilts, Joni Holbrook's daughter, as she embraced family and friends outside the courtroom. "I think it's an appropriate sentence."
State police Lt. Bill Elliott, who knew Melvin Holbrook for about 20 years and worked with him at the Traverse City post, wanted a harsher sentence.
"It's just a very difficult situation," Elliott said. "I don't know what the right answer would have been, but I was surprised to hear how lenient the sentence was."
Joni Holbrook shot her husband multiple times as he slept in their Benzie County home, then called 911 and reported the incident. She pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder after agreeing to a last-minute plea deal the day before her jury trial was set to begin.
Joni Holbrook told Batzer when she entered her plea that she killed her husband because he subjected her to years of mental, physical and sexual abuse.
Batzer later told the Record-Eagle that Holbrook's attorneys had "considerable evidence" she had been sexually battered and abused, and he took that evidence into account for her sentence.
Joni Holbrook apologized to Melvin Holbrook's family at the sentencing.
"I am sorry that my actions have taken someone so special away from you," she said. "I don't look at myself as a killer. I look at myself as a survivor."
Jesse Williams, Joni Holbrook's attorney, called the slaying a matter of self-defense.
"The outcome was better than people expected," Williams said. "I didn't know what to expect. This court and this judge gave her a fair shake down."
Not everyone agreed. Meleen Froman, Melvin Holbrook's sister, drove from Oklahoma to Beulah to attend Tuesday's sentencing, but was not pleased with Batzer's decision.
"I just think it's a mockery," Froman said. "I just think it's sad. I'm a little angry now."
Batzer explained the plea deal to the courtroom audience prior to sentencing and tried to shed light on why a 15-year cap was placed on Joni Holbrook's sentencing.
"The law is an imperfect vehicle, but it's what we have," Batzer said. "I know this sentence is going to be unsatisfactory to parties aligned on both sides. There is nothing that this court can do ... that can make it satisfactory."
Debra Ankerson-Harrand, Joni Holbrook's sister, said she was relieved.
"We're pleased with that," Ankerson-Harrand said of the sentencing. "We all need to move on."
Joni Holbrook received credit for 276 days spent in the Benzie County Jail.
Melvin Holbrook spent 23 years with the state police and worked as a desk sergeant at the Traverse City post at the time of his death. He previously served at posts in Ionia, Coldwater, Manistee and Richmond.
Jonie Holbrook served 7+ years for murdering her husband
Now she wants a second chance
Northern Express
JAN. 13, 2018
https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/what-now/
Joni Ankerson Holbrook is back home in northern Michigan after serving half of a 15-year maximum prison term for the murder her husband, Paul Holbrook, a state police sergeant.
The 56-year-old was sentenced to six to 15 years in prison for second-degree murder. She served 7 ½ years.
Holbrook received a lighter-than-normal sentence in 2009 because her attorney, Jesse Williams, persuaded a Benzie County judge that years of domestic abuse mitigated the killing. It didn’t excuse it, but she maintained that the violence she believed she couldn’t escape needed to be taken into account. (Paul Holbrook’s family maintained at her sentencing that the abuse never happened.)
Nonetheless, Holbrook was released in April to a Benzonia motel. She’s since moved to Traverse City to live with her mother.
Returning to the world has been a struggle. Holbrook, who spent a career in professional office jobs and worked in district court before she became a felon, now works manual labor in a factory. She would like to find work to help victims of domestic violence, but so far she’s found no opportunities.
Prison was horrible, she said, and she vows never to go back, but she’s found adjusting to life as a convicted murderer released from prison also poses incredible challenges. But she said the whole experience has made her a tougher person.
“I had a friend of mine not long ago tell me, ‘Oh, people don’t change,’” she said. “Well, I want that person to know, they do change. I’ve changed tremendously. I stick up for myself. I don’t apologize. You can ask me any question you want, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
The Northern Express sat down with Holbrook and talked about her experiences in prison and the challenges she’s faced since she got out.
Northern Express: What do you want to say about your time in prison?
Joni Holbrook: Prison is like a subsidiary of hell. It’s awful. It’s horrid. Living with 2,300 women of all ages shapes, sizes, races, education, lack thereof, morals, manners, lack thereof. Very interesting. When I got to prison I weighed 101 pounds. I was so wrecked, so broken.
Express: I recall the mugshot of you that was in the media around the time of your trial, and I saw you MDOC mugshot from just prior to your release on parole. You looked much healthier, much better at the end of your stay in prison.
Holbrook: A lot healthier because, as my dad always said, you better bend over and pull up your bootstraps because you’re in for it. It was nothing I was ever prepared for. I mean, obviously, the point where I got to where I thought killing my husband was the only way for me to get out, that’s how damaged and broken domestic violence made me. And thinking that that was okay now shocks me, but it was the only way I knew then, how to get away. So, when you get to prison, you better decide real quick if you’re going to stick up for yourself, learn how to say no, or just be a victim all over again.
Express: And you learned how to stick up for yourself.
Holbrook: Yes. I certainly did. I’m nobody’s victim. I learned how to say no. I learned how to be a real bitch, actually. And I think at that point I was able to do that because of the decision I made to free myself by taking his life. Yeah.
Express: Did prison do anything to help you prepare for coming out of prison?
Holbrook: Yeah. I mean one thing, there’s nothing like being in a room all alone. When I first got there I was in the Reception and Guidance Center, and I was in a room all by myself for 60 days or longer. And there’s nothing like being in a room alone with nothing but four walls and your thoughts. No noise. No officers screaming over the intercom. You have to ask to go to the bathroom. A lot of alone time. A lot of thinking time. I was able to dig really deep and just take things out and look at ’em and realize a lot about myself.
Express: After six years, you were up for parole, and the first time you went before the board you were denied. Why was that?
Holbrook: I remember sitting in the interview with the parole man, and my sister was there with me, and we talked about the abuse, and my parole decision came back as denied, and I got flopped — that’s continued — for 18 months, based on the fact that the parole board thought that I blamed the victim and his family and showed little or no concern for them and that I would actually be at risk to reoffend, which shocked me. I mean I’ve never been in trouble in my life.
Express: What about the victim in your case? You’ve described yourself as a victim, and said you want to stand up and work on behalf of victims. Is that fair? How do you defend that to Paul Holbrook’s family today, who might say that since you took away their loved one, you don’t deserve that chance?
Holbrook: Well, he was a victim, obviously. He was victim of a horrific, terrible crime. Was I a victim of over 10 years of horrific abuse — mental, physical, sexual, emotional? Absolutely. I mean, and the caveat to that is the fact that he was a police officer. He held all the power, control, authority. And so I let him do all of that to me. I was weak enough to let him groom me and fall into the trap. Am I a victim? Absolutely. And I will never stop saying that. I’m not a victim any more. It will never happen again.
Express: So you were out in April. You found yourself in Benzie County in a motel. What was that first week like?
Holbrook: The first week, actually, I felt really free. I was in a room for the first time by myself. I had my own bathroom. I had my own space. I was able to see my family, my kids, which was awesome. Realizing that I was finally able to make my own decisions, I didn’t have to ask permission to do anything. I didn’t have to check in with anybody. … When I got home finally, that freedom and that realization that I was able to make my own choices was huge and very freeing.
Express: But then you found that once you were able to make your own choices, you didn’t have very many options.
Holbrook: Right. And I understand that. I am a convicted felon. I bet I’ve applied for 50 jobs, ’cause I have 28 years’ experience in the law. I worked at district court for close to 10 years, all through the ’90s. … In the other years, I worked for attorneys — clients, customer-service related, I like to work with people. But say you’re a prospective employer, and you get my resume and you think, ‘Oh, this doesn’t look bad, she might be a good fit for the office.’ So you call the first person that I’ve worked for in the past and their response to you is, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know she was out of prison yet.’ I mean, do you bring that out right away? Do you wait on that? The first thing people do, prospective employers right now, is check your record, and when they see that I’m a felon and then that I have a murder charge, most people don’t look further than that.
Express: So what are you doing right now?
Holbrook: I am working in a factory right now. I work different jobs there. I work 7 to 3:30, I’m working on the line some days. I’m working manual hard labor, clean up. I actually broke one of my ribs a couple weeks ago at work. And I can do that. I am really strong. I can do a job like that. But I’m only making $10 an hour. And I understand people’s reluctance, but I just wish people would talk to me. I wish someone would give me a chance. I believe I am a wealth of information, as far as the experience in the law, being a victim of domestic violence, being in prison … I want to work as an advocate. I want to be the voice for victims.
Express: You mentioned you’ve gone to the Women’s Resource Center, and you’ve tried to work as an advocate there.
Holbrook: Yeah, when I first got out of prison, I worked through my parole agent in Benzie County. I had an employment counselor. And he got me a job at the Women’s Resource Center thrift store, part time, 20 hours per week. I was actually working for them, but it was through the AARP foundation. I couldn’t live on that. … So I was working there, and I wanted so bad for the Women’s Resource Center to hire me, which they had the choice of doing but apparently didn’t have the capability money-wise. I felt a lot of that was political. I really felt like because of who my victim was.
Express: But, do you have any training in social work?
Holbrook: No, I don’t. I have no training in social work, and it was made clear to me — I don’t have a degree, I don’t have a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree. Which is true.
Express: Is that something that you’d like to do?
Holbrook: Yeah, it’s something I’d like to do. But I believe I have a master’s degree in domestic violence. I believe I probably know more about it than anybody who’s been schooled in it. I respect people that have degrees and learned whatever they’ve learned, but if you’ve never experienced it, you’ve never been through it, I would rather talk to someone like me rather than someone with a degree hanging on the wall, and that’s just how I feel about it. … I’m so strong. I know exactly what I went through. I know exactly what I did, why I did it. My feelings on that now are completely different. Because I’ve had all this time to reflect on it.
Express: How are your feelings different?
Holbrook: I just am shocked that I was ever in that place. Shocked that he was able to get me to where I thought killing him and taking his life was the only way out. But I know for a fact, and I’ve said this from the beginning: I took his life to save my own, because he was going to kill me, and he told me how he was going to kill me, and I believed him.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Northern Express
JAN. 13, 2018
https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/what-now/
Joni Ankerson Holbrook is back home in northern Michigan after serving half of a 15-year maximum prison term for the murder her husband, Paul Holbrook, a state police sergeant.
The 56-year-old was sentenced to six to 15 years in prison for second-degree murder. She served 7 ½ years.
Holbrook received a lighter-than-normal sentence in 2009 because her attorney, Jesse Williams, persuaded a Benzie County judge that years of domestic abuse mitigated the killing. It didn’t excuse it, but she maintained that the violence she believed she couldn’t escape needed to be taken into account. (Paul Holbrook’s family maintained at her sentencing that the abuse never happened.)
Nonetheless, Holbrook was released in April to a Benzonia motel. She’s since moved to Traverse City to live with her mother.
Returning to the world has been a struggle. Holbrook, who spent a career in professional office jobs and worked in district court before she became a felon, now works manual labor in a factory. She would like to find work to help victims of domestic violence, but so far she’s found no opportunities.
Prison was horrible, she said, and she vows never to go back, but she’s found adjusting to life as a convicted murderer released from prison also poses incredible challenges. But she said the whole experience has made her a tougher person.
“I had a friend of mine not long ago tell me, ‘Oh, people don’t change,’” she said. “Well, I want that person to know, they do change. I’ve changed tremendously. I stick up for myself. I don’t apologize. You can ask me any question you want, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
The Northern Express sat down with Holbrook and talked about her experiences in prison and the challenges she’s faced since she got out.
Northern Express: What do you want to say about your time in prison?
Joni Holbrook: Prison is like a subsidiary of hell. It’s awful. It’s horrid. Living with 2,300 women of all ages shapes, sizes, races, education, lack thereof, morals, manners, lack thereof. Very interesting. When I got to prison I weighed 101 pounds. I was so wrecked, so broken.
Express: I recall the mugshot of you that was in the media around the time of your trial, and I saw you MDOC mugshot from just prior to your release on parole. You looked much healthier, much better at the end of your stay in prison.
Holbrook: A lot healthier because, as my dad always said, you better bend over and pull up your bootstraps because you’re in for it. It was nothing I was ever prepared for. I mean, obviously, the point where I got to where I thought killing my husband was the only way for me to get out, that’s how damaged and broken domestic violence made me. And thinking that that was okay now shocks me, but it was the only way I knew then, how to get away. So, when you get to prison, you better decide real quick if you’re going to stick up for yourself, learn how to say no, or just be a victim all over again.
Express: And you learned how to stick up for yourself.
Holbrook: Yes. I certainly did. I’m nobody’s victim. I learned how to say no. I learned how to be a real bitch, actually. And I think at that point I was able to do that because of the decision I made to free myself by taking his life. Yeah.
Express: Did prison do anything to help you prepare for coming out of prison?
Holbrook: Yeah. I mean one thing, there’s nothing like being in a room all alone. When I first got there I was in the Reception and Guidance Center, and I was in a room all by myself for 60 days or longer. And there’s nothing like being in a room alone with nothing but four walls and your thoughts. No noise. No officers screaming over the intercom. You have to ask to go to the bathroom. A lot of alone time. A lot of thinking time. I was able to dig really deep and just take things out and look at ’em and realize a lot about myself.
Express: After six years, you were up for parole, and the first time you went before the board you were denied. Why was that?
Holbrook: I remember sitting in the interview with the parole man, and my sister was there with me, and we talked about the abuse, and my parole decision came back as denied, and I got flopped — that’s continued — for 18 months, based on the fact that the parole board thought that I blamed the victim and his family and showed little or no concern for them and that I would actually be at risk to reoffend, which shocked me. I mean I’ve never been in trouble in my life.
Express: What about the victim in your case? You’ve described yourself as a victim, and said you want to stand up and work on behalf of victims. Is that fair? How do you defend that to Paul Holbrook’s family today, who might say that since you took away their loved one, you don’t deserve that chance?
Holbrook: Well, he was a victim, obviously. He was victim of a horrific, terrible crime. Was I a victim of over 10 years of horrific abuse — mental, physical, sexual, emotional? Absolutely. I mean, and the caveat to that is the fact that he was a police officer. He held all the power, control, authority. And so I let him do all of that to me. I was weak enough to let him groom me and fall into the trap. Am I a victim? Absolutely. And I will never stop saying that. I’m not a victim any more. It will never happen again.
Express: So you were out in April. You found yourself in Benzie County in a motel. What was that first week like?
Holbrook: The first week, actually, I felt really free. I was in a room for the first time by myself. I had my own bathroom. I had my own space. I was able to see my family, my kids, which was awesome. Realizing that I was finally able to make my own decisions, I didn’t have to ask permission to do anything. I didn’t have to check in with anybody. … When I got home finally, that freedom and that realization that I was able to make my own choices was huge and very freeing.
Express: But then you found that once you were able to make your own choices, you didn’t have very many options.
Holbrook: Right. And I understand that. I am a convicted felon. I bet I’ve applied for 50 jobs, ’cause I have 28 years’ experience in the law. I worked at district court for close to 10 years, all through the ’90s. … In the other years, I worked for attorneys — clients, customer-service related, I like to work with people. But say you’re a prospective employer, and you get my resume and you think, ‘Oh, this doesn’t look bad, she might be a good fit for the office.’ So you call the first person that I’ve worked for in the past and their response to you is, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know she was out of prison yet.’ I mean, do you bring that out right away? Do you wait on that? The first thing people do, prospective employers right now, is check your record, and when they see that I’m a felon and then that I have a murder charge, most people don’t look further than that.
Express: So what are you doing right now?
Holbrook: I am working in a factory right now. I work different jobs there. I work 7 to 3:30, I’m working on the line some days. I’m working manual hard labor, clean up. I actually broke one of my ribs a couple weeks ago at work. And I can do that. I am really strong. I can do a job like that. But I’m only making $10 an hour. And I understand people’s reluctance, but I just wish people would talk to me. I wish someone would give me a chance. I believe I am a wealth of information, as far as the experience in the law, being a victim of domestic violence, being in prison … I want to work as an advocate. I want to be the voice for victims.
Express: You mentioned you’ve gone to the Women’s Resource Center, and you’ve tried to work as an advocate there.
Holbrook: Yeah, when I first got out of prison, I worked through my parole agent in Benzie County. I had an employment counselor. And he got me a job at the Women’s Resource Center thrift store, part time, 20 hours per week. I was actually working for them, but it was through the AARP foundation. I couldn’t live on that. … So I was working there, and I wanted so bad for the Women’s Resource Center to hire me, which they had the choice of doing but apparently didn’t have the capability money-wise. I felt a lot of that was political. I really felt like because of who my victim was.
Express: But, do you have any training in social work?
Holbrook: No, I don’t. I have no training in social work, and it was made clear to me — I don’t have a degree, I don’t have a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree. Which is true.
Express: Is that something that you’d like to do?
Holbrook: Yeah, it’s something I’d like to do. But I believe I have a master’s degree in domestic violence. I believe I probably know more about it than anybody who’s been schooled in it. I respect people that have degrees and learned whatever they’ve learned, but if you’ve never experienced it, you’ve never been through it, I would rather talk to someone like me rather than someone with a degree hanging on the wall, and that’s just how I feel about it. … I’m so strong. I know exactly what I went through. I know exactly what I did, why I did it. My feelings on that now are completely different. Because I’ve had all this time to reflect on it.
Express: How are your feelings different?
Holbrook: I just am shocked that I was ever in that place. Shocked that he was able to get me to where I thought killing him and taking his life was the only way out. But I know for a fact, and I’ve said this from the beginning: I took his life to save my own, because he was going to kill me, and he told me how he was going to kill me, and I believed him.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
