The Brief
- DNA evidence has linked Marvin Lee Holloway to the May 27, 1986, sexual assault and capital murder of Ruby Battee in her Dallas home.
- Holloway is already serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for a separate 1988 murder; Dallas detectives interviewed him and secured the new warrant this month.
- The case remained cold for nearly 40 years until detectives submitted clothing and assault swabs for advanced testing, yielding a database match in May 2026.
DALLAS – DNA evidence has linked a man currently serving a life sentence for a 1988 murder to the sexual assault and slaying of a Dallas woman nearly 40 years ago, authorities said Wednesday.
Marvin Lee Holloway is now facing a charge of capital murder in the May 27, 1986, death of Ruby Battee.
Cold case solved
The backstory:
Battee was murdered and sexually assaulted after an unidentified suspect forcefully entered her residence. Investigators at the time found little evidence to identify a suspect, though viable DNA was located on Battee’s clothing. Due to the limitations of forensic technology in the 1980s, no concrete evidence could be extracted from the samples at the time.…