Holland Sticks by Story Under Intense Prosecution Questioning

The prosecution relentlessly questioned convicted killer Alan Brett Holland for four hours Wednesday in an effort to portray him as a cold and callous man who has told endless lies to save himself--and as a man who deserves to die.

But though Holland, 31, admitted he is a lying and violent drug addict who feels no remorse for his actions, he clung to his latest version of what happened the day in July 1996 when he shot 65-year-old Mildred Wilson through the heart: that he killed her because she made him mad.

“I did not wake up that day thinking I would go and kill Mildred Wilson,” Holland said. “I did not park in the parking lot thinking I would kill Mildred Wilson. I did not approach Mildred Wilson to kill her. That’s not what happened.”

In December, a jury ruled that Holland killed the Oxnard widow in a Ventura mall parking lot so he could steal her car and her purse.

Now, in the penalty phase of the trial, jurors must decide whether Holland should live the rest of his live in prison or be executed.

Holland’s intent at the time of the murder is important. The case is the first in Ventura County to be prosecuted using a new law that makes a killing committed during the commission of a carjacking punishable by death.

Testimony is scheduled to resume today.