An man was sentenced Thursday to at least 23 years in prison in connection with the murder of Camisha Hollis in Omaha, Nebraska.
Marvin Young Jr., who pled no contest in March to manslaughter, child abuse and tampering with evidence in the death of the 35-year-old Hollis, appeared in Douglas County court for the sentencing.
Young received credit for time served and will be eligible for parole after 7.5 years in prison.
Hollis’ body has never been found, but Thursday in court it was revealed that her blood was found found in her car that Young took and in the garage of the home the couple shared with their three daughters.
Prosecutors said the couple fought the night of April 1, 2018 at their home.
Young gave cough medicine to their three daughters, ages, 6, 8, and 9 to make them sleep.
But the oldest who is now 14, didn’t drink it and told detectives she heard loud hitting, possibly with a boot and her mom yelling ‘Stop.’ Chief Deputy Douglas County Attorney Brenda Beadle said there’s video of Young in Hollis’ car at the Platte River near Plattsmouth.
Police never found her body but Beadle said a dog picked up her scent on the riverbank.
Through tears and deep breaths, Ai’youna bravely told the judge she has nightmares and she’s been angry, realizing “the pent up anger is what I lost.”
“i don’t think it’s right he gets to walk out scot-free and i have to carry this on my shoulders, wondering why and what could I have done to prevent this from happening. Even though people say it’s not my fault, I was just a kid. That’s my mom and I feel like I had to protect her. That was my duty,” she said.
“She really thinks she could have done something to stop it,” said Beadle.
This case brought Beadle to tears as well, wishing the family knew where Young put Camisha’s body.
Camisha’s mother, Martha Hollis brought a framed picture of her daughter to court to give her strength while talking to the judge.
“Having it there with me knowing Camisha’s there, not in the flesh t but here in spirit,” she said.
She set the photo in front of her.
“Today is Camsiha Hollis justice day,” she said.
She also called Young ‘cold-hearted’ and hopes one day he will reveal what he did with her body.
“I can accept she is gone and what is done, I can’t undo. I can’t accept that she was thrown away like garbage or trash,” Martha Hollis.
The judge sentenced Young to five counts, manslaughter, three counts of child abuse and tampering with evidence.
In 2019, Douglas County prosecutors believed they had enough evidence to prove the 37-year-old murdered Hollis.
However, as the trial date drew closer, prosecutors decided to put manslaughter on the table.
Chief Deputy Attorney Brenda Beadle said in March that there are multiple reasons aside from the evidence itself as to why they offered manslaughter.
“Manslaughter still means that the defendant killed Camisha and that he did it either intentionally during a sudden quarrel or unintentionally during a felony assault,” Beadle said.
Beadle also said it had to do with Hollis’ children.
In July 2019, detectives testified that Hollis and Young’s oldest daughter heard her parents fighting the night of April 1, 2018.
“As the night went on, (Hollis and Young’s daughter) heard what she described (as) loud hitting and her mom screaming, yelling ‘stop’ and ‘ouch,'” a homicide detective said at the hearing.
Later that night, police believe Young gave his daughters medicine to make them sleep. They never saw their mom again.
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