He told the judge he said a prayer in the courtroom in which he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the true judge who justly gave Derek and Gage Green their death.’’
That remark prompted the victims’ mother and others to stand up and leave the courtroom in disgust. Remaining spectators broke into applause when York County Superior Court Justice Roland Cole adjourned the hearing after imposing the maximum sentences allowed in Maine, which has no death penalty.
Holland was convicted in November of two counts of murder by jurors in Bangor, where the trial was moved because of pretrial publicity in Biddeford, where he is a regular fixture at City Council meetings, twice ran for mayor, and has insisted that he was a victim of racism. Holland is black in a city that is overwhelmingly white.
Over the years, Holland has been involved in numerous lawsuits and has faced several criminal charges, including assault, trespassing, and contempt of court. He served a two-year sentence for trying to kill his 16-month-old daughter while living in Kansas in the late 1970s.
Defense lawyer Clifford Strike urged the judge to impose a sentence of no more than 30 years in prison, saying the case was akin to manslaughter, not murder. But Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese sought life sentences, calling the shootings a case of premeditated murder by a man who has shown no remorse.
