Prosecution Rests in Ricky Holland Case

Lansing, MI - On day 21 of the murder trial for Lisa Holland, adoptive mother of Ricky Holland, the prosecution rested. With more than 50 witnesses so far, it is now the defense's turn to plead that her husband Tim, who has pleaded to 2nd-degree murder in exchange for testifying against his wife, is the one who murdered Ricky.

Last week, Tim Holland gave some explosive testimony in the case against Lisa, including testimony stating that Lisa and her father had worked out details about how to present their story about Ricky's disappearance so that no inconsistencies were found. He also testified that when he returned home on the day of Ricky's death, July 1st, that he found his wife screaming that she didn't mean to kill him. Allegedly, she later told him that she had hit Ricky with a hammer.

Tim Holland earlier led authorities to Ricky's body, which was curled in a fetal position. A January 28th autopsy revealed that he died of a closed head injury with no skull fracture. He did have a small facial fracture.

3 people have testified that Ricky's adoptive mother admitted that she struck the boy two times with a tack hammer. A doctor has testified that this appears to be the case. Ricky had other injuries besides the one that killed him, including a small facial fracture, facial bruising, fractures to Ricky's shoulder, and lack of proper development probably due to malnurition.

Though Ricky Holland was declared to be special needs, his development was normal in his first two years of life, when he wasn't in foster or adoptive placement.

The difficulty with Tim Holland's testimony lies not in its believability, but in the fact that he has lied to authorities before, particularly regarding Ricky's disappearance. Tim Holland states that he has taken responsibility for what he has done, and the reason for his testimony is because he wants his wife to as well.

In court Monday, Thomas Taylor, Lisa Holland's father, pleaded the 5th to avoid self-incrimination. He was subpoenaed Friday to testify.

The prosecution's last witness, Dr. Pomerantz, a child abuse expert, testified that Ricky Holland suffered from something called "pediatric condition falsification." Apparently, it is a diagnosis given to children whose caregivers falsify their child's medical symptoms.

The trial is expected to wind down this week, now that the prosecution has rested. Lisa Holland reportedly has few witnesses in her defense.