A Lexington County jury convicted Donovan Holman, 35, of murder in the killing of 38-year-old Caldwell “Jay” Motley Jr., according to the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Holman was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. He was also sentenced to 30 years for attempted murder and 25 years for arson, which run concurrently with the life sentence.
Circuit Court Judge Scott Sprouse oversaw the five-day trial and imposed the sentences.
According to South Carolina law, Holman will spend the remainder of his natural life in prison, with no hope of parole.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Holman, the surviving victim, and others convened at a neighborhood tavern on July 20, 2024.
After the business closed, the gang proceeded to the surviving victim’s property and continued partying in an outside shed.
According to the solicitor’s office, Holman was high on narcotics and drink at the time.
After some of the group members left, Holman attacked the surviving victim, who claimed that the last thing he recalled was being knocked unconscious.
Holman then confronted the victim’s roommate, Motley, upon entering the surviving victim’s home on Oak Ridge Lane in Lexington.
Investigators claimed there was no evidence that Holman knew Motley was inside.
Motley was stabbed at least 126 times, according to the solicitor’s office.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Holman used “different sharp instruments” during the attack.
Holman also used an ax to attack the surviving victim, injuring her neck and putting her life in danger.
Emergency personnel treated the surviving victim on the site before transporting him to Prisma Health.
Holman fled the scene after stealing a car from one of the victims and setting fire to the house to conceal evidence, according to investigators.
Emergency personnel arrived shortly thereafter to extinguish the fire and provide medical care.
Holman was present on the property before and during the attacks, as well as around the time the fire erupted, according to digital evidence presented at trial.
Forensic experts also testified that Holman’s DNA was discovered on items left at the scene and thought to have been used during the attack.
His invisible fingerprints, or latent prints, were also detected on evidence.
In the days following the crimes, mobile phone data revealed that Holman had fled South Carolina and traveled to two separate states while law authorities sought him.
On May 7, 2025, the Fugitive Task Force of the United States Marshals stopped Holman in Myrtle Beach.
Deputy Solicitor Rhonda W. Patterson and Assistant Solicitor Sam Jones handled the matter.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and Lexington County Fire Services oversaw the investigation.
Patterson stated that the incident left two families “shattered” and hoped that the verdict will bring some justice to the victims and community.
Holman has been transferred to South Carolina’s Department of Corrections to fulfill his life term.
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