A Frederick County jury returned a guilty verdict on 5 counts involving attempted second degree murder against Avarice Gino Holman, age 42, of Hagerstown, Maryland. Holman was represented by John Salvatore, Esquire, and the State was represented by Kirsten Brown, Chief of the Violent Crimes Division. The trial lasted three days and involved the testimony of ten state’s witnesses. The jury deliberated until approximately 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2012, and returned guilty verdicts against Holman on the following counts: attempted second degree murder, first degree assault, second degree assault, and malicious destruction of property under $500. The jury found the defendant not guilty of a second degree assault on his wife, who was injured when she tried to dislodge the knife Holman was using to stab the victim.
The testimony revealed that in the early morning hours of September 25, 2011, Jeaneen Holman, estranged wife of the Defendant, sat in a silver Ford in the parking lot of Pastimes Cafe with the victim, a friend she had known for over 20 years. Holman arrived in the parking lot sometime around 2 a.m., armed with a knife. Both immediately recognize Avarice "Gino" Holman as the driver of green Chrysler Seabring blocking them. The victim gets out of the car and is immediately stabbed by Holman using a white handled knife. The wife recognized the knife as one from the home she once shared with Holman.
The victim tried to run away but was stabbed repeatedly in the back. Holman then fled the scene. Two witnesses, both patrons of Pastimes, were present. One rushed the victim to Frederick Memorial Hospital in her personal vehicle and the other called 911 and described the brutal attack. The victim was then taken to R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center via ambulance where he remained for five days, suffering from eight stab wounds to the neck, chest and back. "The victim sustained fairly sizeable permanent scars from this attack. He’s fortunate to be alive", said Frederick County State’s Attorney Charlie Smith.
The Honorable G. Edward Dwyer, Jr. ordered a Pre-Sentence Investigation and set Holman’s sentencing for May 16, 2012. Holman is facing over thirty years of incarceration.
