LAS VEGAS (KNX) — A driver is in custody after Las Vegas police found a severed head and other body parts in a pickup truck he was driving. Clark County prosecutors alleged Eric Holland, 57, killed the man whose remains were recovered from the vehicle.
At a hearing on Tuesday, Holland was charged with murder and returned to custody without bail.
Holland was arrested after an attempted traffic stop on Dec. 23 in Las Vegas' Spring Valley neighborhood. The officer who pulled over the Toyota Tundra Holland was driving checked the license plate and found its registration was suspended. At this point, Holland drove away.
Officers pursued Holland for about three miles, then witnessed him into a parking garage next to the Rio hotel and casino. A little later, according to police, Holland exited the garage driving a different vehicle — a Chevrolet Avalanche.
Police followed the Chevy for two more miles before it came to a stop near the Orleans casino. There, officers said Holland got out of the truck and ignored commands to surrender. When he attempted to flee, he was stunned with a taser and arrested.
Once in custody, police found both trucks had been reported stolen. While searching the Chevy, police recovered a black trash bag emitting a "foul odor." Inside was a severed human head, according to the criminal complaint filed against Holland. Coolers found inside the truck allegedly contained an "apparent human torso" and "two human legs."
Holland's attorney said his client had stolen the Chevy without knowing what was inside.
"In order to presume that Mr. Holland had prior knowledge of the contents of this truck, you would also have to believe that he [led] police to the body intentionally," the defense contended. "The question is: why would he do this?"
Prosecutors said the victim, identified as 65-year-old Richard P. Miller of Las Vegas, whose death was ruled a homicide due to multiple bullet wounds according to the Clark County Coroner's Office, was an acquaintance of Holland's.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Holland had been caught on surveillance video at an area Home Depot purchasing a saw and trash bags.
Holland is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 27.
