Atoya Holmes: Ex-correctional officer sentenced to 13 years said she 'loved' the man she killed

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Atoya Holmes, a former federal correctional officer, faced the consequences of her actions as she was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the killing of Verdell Goins, 52.

The victim's relatives vehemently rejected Holmes' claim of love, asserting that the majority of altercations initiated by her culminated in this tragic incident.

What led to Verdell Goins shooting?

Holmes, 48, was convicted in October, 2023, on a reduced charge of manslaughter, downgraded from the initial second-degree murder charge. The incident occurred after a Miami Dolphins game, where Holmes asserted that she shot Goins in his SUV in self-defense, claiming he was assaulting her.

Despite this plea, the victim's family and the presiding judge were unconvinced. During the sentencing hearing, a relative of Goins confronted Holmes, stating, “Ninety-nine percent of the fights that you had with my cousin, you started. My cousin was not a woman-beater,” WTVJ. 

Holmes, who was married to then-Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Arthur Holmes, insisted that her love for Goins transcended conventional understanding. “I loved that man, and I’m not talking about just a love between a man and a woman. I loved him with something that I can’t even explain,” she maintained.

What was the motive behind tragic shooting?

Prosecutors, however, portrayed this professed love as a toxic mix of jealousy and obsession. Allegedly upset over Goins' involvement with another woman, Holmes' actions were characterized as those of a scorned individual seeking revenge.

“He was patient. He was kind. He was loving. He was caring,” testified another of Goins’ loved ones, countering the narrative painted by Holmes.

The judge, William Altfield, expressed his disbelief in Holmes' testimony, emphasizing “You made the choice to take out the firearm, and you are a law enforcement officer. You know that if you are pulling out that firearm, you are pulling it out to use it.”

Assistant State Attorney Sarah Imm, who prosecuted the case, asserted that Holmes' actions were not rooted in self-defense but rather in a moment of jealousy, rage, and a disturbed state of mind. Imm argued that Holmes had "snapped" on November 7, 2021, not out of fear for her life but due to a toxic emotional state.

The case took a particularly tragic turn with revelations that Holmes had previously shot her son during an altercation. Authorities disclosed that her son had attempted to force his way inside her home during a dispute with his stepfather.