2 Bits! 4 Bits! 6 Bits! a Murder! Mom Held in Cheerleader Plot

The students and faculty at a junior high school were stunned today by the news that a woman who had wanted to boost her daughter’s chances of being selected cheerleader allegedly tried to hire a hit man to murder a chief competitor’s mother.

Wanda Webb Holloway believed her daughter’s rival would be so upset by her mother’s death that she would drop out of the competition, authorities said.

“We are really, really, really surprised,” said Jim Barker, principal of Alice Johnson Junior High School. “These are model families.”

Holloway, 36, was arrested Wednesday and charged with solicitation of capital murder. She is now free on bail.

Holloway initially considered having both Verna Heath and her daughter killed but decided it would be too expensive, an investigator said. Her husband was not aware of her actions.

Both girls, age 13, are vying for a spot on the cheerleading squad of Channelview High School, which they will attend next year.

Detective George Helton described Holloway as “the ultimate stage mother, who would go to almost any length, apparently, to further the career and popularity of her daughter.”

Authorities became aware of the plot when Holloway contacted an acquaintance about finding someone to do the job, Helton said. The person informed authorities, and an undercover officer posing as a hit man then contacted Holloway to discuss a deal.

Holloway allegedly offered $7,500 to kill both the mother and daughter but later agreed to pay $2,500 for the death of the mother only, authorities said.