The Hollingsworth Clan

    The Hollingsworths were involved in this case in many ways: as witnesses to multiple events, as neighbors to both the defendants and the victims, as suspects and as alibis to the defendants - sometimes with a single individual playing multiple roles. Three testified at the trials for the prosecution (Narlene, Tabitha and Anthony Hollingsworth). Another six family members were subpoenaed (L.G., Ricky and Sara Hollingsworth, Dixie Hufford, Dian and Domini Teer).  

    Their convoluted involvement was matched by an intertwining family tree. From the Echols/Baldwin trial:


    Narlene Hollingsworth had married L.G. Hollingsworth, Sr. early in life, divorced him and then married his brother, Ricky Hollingsworth, Sr.  To further complicate matters, Narlene's sister, Pamela married into the Hollingsworth family.  Dixie Hufford, who would figure prominently in the events, was married to the senior Hollingsworth but divorced out of the family.  Dixie was the sister of Dian Teer, the mother of Domini.
 


    The tangled Hollingsworth clan.  The numbers represent ages in 1993.

Narlene's Day

    May 5th began for Narlene Hollingsworth when she took her children to school and then picked up her nephew, LG Hollingsworth, Jr., to help him job hunt.  LG soon found a job at the Big Star store.  At approximately noon, they had a car accident.  Narlene spent the early afternoon at the insurance company.  Afterwards, she returned home bringing LG along.  Narlene lived near Domini Teer and Jason Baldwin and LG claimed to visit Damien at Domini's trailer early in the afternoon and later saw Damien in Lakeshore, near five p.m.  Narlene, accompanied by her family, then returned LG to his home in the neighborhood of the victims.  

    After leaving off LG, Narlene said she encountered the victims on Barton in front of their school.  As with each encounter that day, her memory was vivid and specific.   Narlene testified that little her son Ricky's girlfriend, Sombra, and all of her children except Anthony were in the car with her when this occurred.  No substantiating statements were taken.    


    In her statement to police she provided even more details.  


    She also recalled a conversation she had with them.  "And, I told them little boys you ought to go home and that little boy said, no we are going to play for a little while."  [ibid]

    Narlene provided a letter to Misskelley's defense team saying  she encountered Misskelley that night at 6:30 pm.  This made her an alibi witness at a crucial moment.   Because of this statement, she was not a witness in the Misskelley trial.   She was, however, confronted about this letter in the Echols/Baldwin trial during cross-examination by defense attorney Scott Davidson.


    Since Misskelley was not at trial, an issue was made of the relevancy.  The defense argued that Misskelley was a potential witness and this would impeach his credibility.  The testimony proceeded, but Narlene declared it was all a mistake.  


    Although now of less consequence, Narlene went on to recount the conversation she had with Jessie.


    Although she stated she was in the car with her children during this encounter, there were no statements substantiating or contradicting the time of this event from the other witnesses.  

    Narlene went on to she was told at 6:30 pm by "Sheila Joy" about the three missing children, although this was well before their disappearances had been reported.  

    

  Narlene Hollingsworth              Handwritten statement of Tabitha Hollingsworth, age 16

Narlene's Night
 
     Narlene's encounters with the children and Misskelley were uncorroborated.  This was not the case for her next encounter.  Sometime after 9 pm on the evening of the fifth, Narlene's aunt, Dixie Hufford called and asked to be picked up from her workplace, a laundromat on Ingram, about a half mile east of the neighborhood where the victims lived.  The Hollingsworth family crowded into their 1982 Ford Escort wagon.  Who exactly was in the car would vary slightly from account to account.  All agreed on the presence of Narlene, her husband Ricky, their sons Anthony and Ricky Jr., and their daughters, Tabitha Hollingsworth (now Bly) and Mary.  Anthony and Narlene also included Sombra, the girlfriend of little Ricky.  Tabitha placed LG Hollingsworth in the car.   Little Ricky, Mary, and Sombra were not interviewed and LG gave other whereabouts for himself.  

    Narlene, Anthony, and Tabitha told the same basic story as to what they saw.   While travelling east on the South Service Road as they were passing Love's Truck Stop and before the Blue Beacon, they said they saw Damien Echols and Domini Teer walking along the roadside.  They both wore black.  Domini, Narlene's niece, had on black jeans with white flowers.  (The prosecution would present a case they mistook Jason for Domini.  These differed from the clothes Misskelley said Jason wore, but is in agreement for what Damien wore.)  They were both muddy. 

	Narlene: Domini's clothes	Anthony: Domini's clothes	Tabitha: Domini's clothes	Jessie  Misskelley: Jason's clothes
Pants	Black, tight fit, white flowers	Black, white flowers, holes in knees	Black, flowers, holes above knees	Blue jeans, holes in knees
Shirt	Dark	Black	Black, long	T-shirt, Metallica or Megadeth
Shoes	-	-	-	Black army boots, 3/4 high

Hollingsworths' description of Domini's clothing versus
Misskelley description of Jason's clothing.
 
    Tabitha testified to this sighting at the Misskelley trial.  Anthony and Narlene testified at the Echols/ Baldwin trial. Tabitha testified it was about 9:30 and in her note to police said "about 9:15 or 9:30."  Narlene was precise about the time.  "This was exactly 20mminutes [sic] til 10, exactly, cause we had our watches and we knew what time it was."  [Narlene Hollingsworth interview, May 10, 1993]  The others were less certain with Anthony stating it may have been an hour later.   Anthony also had a problem with the date.


    After being presented with his signed statement dated May 25th, 1993, Anthony changed his time frame.


    Narlene testified immediately following Anthony Hollingsworth.  Perhaps to prevent a similar embarrassment, at the end of his direct examination Fogleman presented her with the date she made her statement.

Fogleman: Alright. And uh - did you give a tape recorded statement to them?
Narlene: Yes, I did.
Fogleman: Alright. And was that on May the 10th?
Narlene: I think it was.
Fogleman: Ok. Let me show you this and see if that refreshes your memory. (pause) Does that refresh your memory? Is that when it was?
Narlene: It sure was.
Fogleman: I don't have any further questions.

    Even with this refresher, Narlene seemed confused as to the date during cross-examination.  

Davidson: And do you recall when those statements were?
Narlene: Well, I know it was on a Friday. About the - well, I told them, but I gave statements - probably around the 9th or 10th. Like Mr. Fogleman said.  (Friday was the seventh of May.)

    In a newspaper interview, Narlene and Tabitha said they spoke to the police two days after the murders - although Tabitha Hollingsworth statement was dated the twentieth.  "Narlene Hollingsworth and her 16-year-old daughter Tabitha said they told police two days after the murders that they saw Teer and Echols walking down a service road along I-40 around the time of the murders."  [Memphis Commercial Appeal, September 28, 1993]  

Looking east from Love's convenience store.  The yellow line segment represents the
approximate area where the Hollingsworths said they saw Damien and Domini.  

    Ricky Hollingsworth, Sr. rode shotgun and was in the best position to identify the pair of walkers.  When asked whether Ricky and the children had seen Damien and Domini, Narlene said, "Yes, aint no way they missed that."   [Narlene Hollingsworth, May 10th, 1993]  Ricky said he only saw two people but couldn't say who.  Narlene gave a possible reason for his reluctance to identify them.  ". . .he sure is scary [sic], he’s scared somebody is going to kill him."  [ibid]  By the time he gave his statement to the police in December 1993, Ricky had divorced Narlene.

    The testimony that Damien and Domini were present on the Service Road a short distance from where the bodies were found represented a problem for the prosecution.  Domini was not being presented as part of the crime.  The prosecutor put forth that the Hollingsworths mistook Jason for Domini, even though as a relative, they had known Domini for her whole life.  Narlene was adamant about who she saw.  ''I wouldn't change my story if I was dying,'' said Hollingsworth, a resident of the Lakeshore Estates trailer park. ''I know that freckled-faced, red-headed girl anywhere.  It was Domini - not a boy."  [Memphis Commercial Appeal, September 28, 1993]

    Defense attorney, Phil Ford, protested the claim of misidentification.


    The Supreme Court of Arkansas referenced this sighting in detailing substantial evidence against Echols.


    Baldwin's attorneys did not appeal based on lack of substantial evidence.  
 
 
The prosecution contended the Hollingsworth family mistook Jason (right) for Domini (left).

Narlene's Credibility

    Narlene's credibility was brought into question from several sources.  The notes from the interview with her aunt, Dixie Hufford, said, [Narlene] "will exagerate."  Her brother-in-law, John Hollingsworth was blunter, claiming she was only interested in the reward money.  "I can understand them checking into all these leads, but if they're listening to Narlene Hollingsworth, he's wasting his time."  [Blood of Innocents, p. 125]  Private investigator Ron Lax quoted her as saying she was "born to know things."   Davidson tried to use this impeach her testimony at trial.  


Her "bad feeling" was acute.  


    The defense attacked her credibility by suggesting that she might lie because her nephew was a suspect.  


    Although this line of questioning was dropped, Narlene had no hesitancy to implicate her nephew during her police interview.  


    Her son and fellow witness for the prosecution, Anthony Hollingsworth, had been arrested for unlawful carnal knowledge with a minor.  The defense attempted to bring this out, possibly as another reason why Narlene might want to point to someone else as the killer.  


    Judge Burnett offered the prosecution the grounds for objection.


    Anthony Hollingsworth is now on the Arkansas sex offenders list.  

Continued in L.G. and the Stinky Box.  


LG Hollingsworth