I found out my mom was a MURDERER after searching her name on Google
A man has candidly revealed that he discovered his mother was a murderess after searching her name on Google.
Travis Holman, 36, had a strained relationship with his mother Lynda, now 60, for much of his life.
He claims she left him when he was 11 to move with her boyfriend Mark McCollum, leaving Travis and his sister Daisy Holman, then 13, to fend for themselves.
The children were raised by their aunt and uncle and saw their mother twice a year, speaking to her on the phone.
Travis, a native of Sacramento, California, became increasingly concerned about his mother as the years passed and wondered what he would find if he looked her name up online.
Travis Holman, 36, had a strained relationship with his mother Lynda, now 60, for much of his life
He claims she left him when he was 11 to move with her boyfriend Mark McCollum, leaving Travis and his sister Daisy Holman, then 13, to fend for themselves.
Travis, a freelance assistant at a television production company, explained how he made this shocking discovery.
‘I googled the names of a few family members I haven’t seen in a while.
‘I knew my mother had a criminal record, she had been convicted of manslaughter in the 1990s.
‘I typed her name into Google and the first article I saw was about Lynda Holman’s arrest. I thought it was about her previous conviction.
But when I looked at the date, I saw it was February 16, 2010, and my mind collapsed.
‘I went to her arraignment and that was the last time I saw her.
This time I could see her from across the courtroom.
“I will never forget the look on her face. She felt a combination of utter happiness to see me, but also shame at the same time.”
Travis and Daisy were raised by their mother Lynda after their father died on December 13, 1991 from an ongoing heart condition.
Travis said they had a difficult childhood because his mother was a “wild child,” but she cared about him and his sister.
He said, ‘I remember her throwing a lot of parties. Like, she had a muscle car and I remember us doing donuts in it.
“She was a loving mother. All the time it was ‘I love you’ and ‘you’re special’ – my sister and I felt that.
‘We felt loved, but she had a difficult childhood, just like my sister and I.’
In 1998, Lynda went out one night and met Mark at a bar. She took him to the family home in Kendall, Washington, Travis said.
Mark and Lynda dated for months before she left Travis and Daisy and moved to Deming, Washington, in 1998 to live with her boyfriend, he says.
Travis said, “After a week or so she came home, packed her gym bag and never came back.
‘For four months we had to manage all by ourselves.
‘Although we were scared and terrified, we were even more scared of contacting anyone else.
“When she left, we had no contact for months. Eventually, our aunt and uncle came to pick us up.”
Travis and Daisy were raised by their mother Lynda after their father died of an ongoing heart condition on December 13, 1991
Despite Lynda leaving them both, Travis and Daisy continued to have a relationship with their mother, seeing her once or twice a year.
After finding out their mother had been convicted, Travis explained, “I immediately called my sister, but she didn’t pick up.
‘Then I called my best friend because I just needed someone to talk to.
‘The next day I drove to the police station to see my mother, but I was not allowed to.
“I knew for sure she would be gone for a long time.”
He later discovered that on February 16, 2010, police had responded to a 911 call to investigate a shooting at the home where Lynda and Mark lived.
When police arrived on the scene, Lynda was standing outside the building and told police what had happened, according to documents from the Washington State Court of Appeals.
She told police that Mark had made a comment about killing ghosts, according to legal documents.
In response, Lynda grabbed a shotgun from a rack in the bedroom, placed the butt of the gun on the floor and held the barrel up to her chin, a court document said.
Lynda claims that Mark told her to put the gun down, but as she put the gun back down, the shot went off, shooting Mark.
Despite Lynda leaving them both, Travis and Daisy (pictured together) continued to have a relationship with their mother, seeing her once or twice a year
He explained that his relationship with his mother is now ‘as healthy as it can be’
According to reporters, Mark died at the scene and Lynda was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Travis said, “My mom said there was a ghost show on TV and she walked over to the wall where there was a gun.
“She grabbed it off the wall and said, ‘I’m going to shoot the ghost and shoot Mark in the chest.’
He added: ‘It was not strange to be in prison and make phone calls through bulletproof glass.
“I saw her in her jumpsuit. It broke my heart because I knew she had done something so horrible that they wouldn’t let her go.”
In June 2010, Linda was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Travis said, “When my sister told me the verdict was second-degree murder and that my mother would be sentenced to 28 years in prison, I broke down.
‘I told my boss I had to go that day and yeah, it was a lot to process.
“Even though my mother struggled with alcoholism and probably PTSD from her childhood in foster care and the trauma that came with it, she was, as I said, a very loving mother.”
Travis said he fell to the ground when he heard how long the punishment would last.
He explained that his relationship with his mother is now “as healthy as it can be.”
Travis said, “When she calls me, there’s a common theme.
‘We’re going to catch up on what we’re both doing and what we’ve been up to lately.
‘She will keep me updated on her battle with breast cancer. This is her second bout of breast cancer since she has been in prison.
‘She has had a double mastectomy and is undergoing chemotherapy.
‘We also joke a lot.
‘For someone who has been locked up for over a decade, she has a great sense of humor.
“When I talk to her, I notice that she regrets what happened.”