No Bond For Karen Hollis Murder Suspect
Karen Hollis was last seen alive in Northport on May 8th. An alert sent out by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) stated the 23-year-old was living with a condition that could impair her judgment.
Her body was discovered in Greene County on May 16th. Investigators determined foul play was involved and a person of Interest, 44-year-ol Randall Lendell Dejourney was taken into custody. He was initially charged with abuse of a corpse. Murder charges were later added.
Investigators determined Dejourney was with Hollis at her apartment on May 8, the day she was reported missing. The filing states Dejourney left the apartment and later returned and that video footage allegedly showed him carrying a blue tote container with a black trash bag inside. The document also notes Hollis weighed approximately 110 pounds.
As Dejourney faced a May 26th preliminary hearing in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court, documents reveal he made a claim the victim had hanged herself. However, facts presented by prosecutors at the hearing included a statement by the medical examiner that Hollis’ injuries were not consistent with hanging; It was also revealed the defendant has a domestic violence history, including a DV-Strangulation in Escambia County, Florida.
At the completion of the hearing and review of the evidence presented by the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, Circuit Judge Allen W. May Jr. found probable cause to support both the murder charge and the abuse-of-a-corpse charge and ordered the defendant bound over to a grand jury.
Court documents also show the judge granted the state's request to hold Dejourney without bond under Alabama's Aniah's Law. In agreeing to Dejourney being held without bond, Judge May wrote in the Probable Cause Order, "After consideration of the above (evidence), the Court finds that the State has proved “by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably . . . protect the safety of the community.”
Dejourney is being represented by attorneys Justin Snyder and Rachel Hollingsworth.
More From Tuscaloosa Thread
