Additional Coverage:
- Woman who threatened to kill her teacher 40 years ago charged with murdering her boss (themirror.com)
A Texas woman with a history of violent behavior is now facing a first-degree murder charge. Patricia Ruth Holt, 57, is accused of killing her boss, 47-year-old Carl Joseph Donaldson, at the Hutchins Trucking Yard where they both worked.
This isn’t Holt’s first brush with the law. As an 18-year-old high school senior in Red Hook, Brooklyn, she brought a loaded shotgun to school intending to shoot a teacher who had disciplined her. She was disarmed by other teachers and pleaded guilty to attempted assault, receiving five years’ probation.
After the incident in New York, Holt moved to Florida and later North Carolina before settling in Texas. According to Donaldson’s widow, Holt had anger management issues and resented being given instructions.
The fatal confrontation allegedly occurred after Donaldson attempted to de-escalate an argument with Holt. His widow reported hearing a “pop” and then seeing her husband “flying through the air” before falling to the ground.
Following the shooting, Holt reportedly barricaded herself in a truck cab for four hours. Police say she initially intended to provoke officers into shooting her, but ultimately surrendered.