UPDATE: Former Georgia probation officer from Warner Robins denied bond in girlfriend’s slaying

PERRY -- Thirty courtroom supporters, eight letters to the court and three defense witnesses weren’t enough to persuade Judge Tripp Self of the Macon Judicial Circuit to grant bond Tuesday to a former probation officer charged with his girlfriend’s murder.

“I’m going to deny bond for the time being,” Self ruled after a half-hour hearing for Russell Holt, 28. “I want to see what the grand jury says next Tuesday.”

More than 80 people crowded into Houston County Superior Court for the hearing, in which Self denied Holt bond but promised to entertain a review after the grand jury hears the case.

District Attorney Peter J. Skandalakis of the Coweta Judicial Circuit, a special prosecutor in the case, said he expects the grand jury will indict Holt on June 5.

“This case could be tried by the end of the year,” Skandalakis told Self.

Holt, of Warner Robins, is accused of killing girlfriend Jessica Wolfe, 27, of Bonaire, in March. Holt has pleaded not guilty, claiming an intruder knocked him unconscious the night of the attack.

The case has quickly drawn attention because of Holt’s position as a probation officer for Houston County Superior Court at the time of the shooting and Wolfe’s position as a legal assistant for the Houston County District Attorney’s Office.

Houston County prosecutors and judges excused themselves from the case almost immediately; Self and Skandalakis were appointed.

Dressed in a black blazer, white collared shirt unbuttoned at the neck and khaki pants, Holt was led into the courtroom Tuesday with his hands chained against his waist. At defense attorney Franklin J. Hogue’s request, the chains were removed, but five to six officers stood behind and on the side of Holt throughout the hearing.

The defense took most of the hearing, with Hogue presenting three witnesses and pledging Holt would abide by any court-imposed bond conditions. He insisted Holt is not a flight risk -- especially since Holt would have stayed with his parents -- a danger to the community nor inclined to intimidate witnesses.

“It’s just not going to happen; there’s no one to intimidate or influence,” Hogue said.

The three witnesses were Patsy Rivera, who worked with Holt as a probation officer in Savannah; Beau Adams, a Warner Robins attorney who knows the Holt family; and Shawn Carter, Houston County office manager of Sentinel Offender Services, who said his company would monitor Holt if given bond.

Skandalakis pressed the three witnesses on how they knew for certain Holt would not violate a bond.

He pointed out to Self that Rivera had not seen Holt since he returned to Warner Robins in 2009, Adams was Holt’s original attorney in the wee hours of the case, and Carter’s company could not monitor anyone's communication 24 hours a day.

Skandalakis also said the eight letters written on Holt’s behalf were more about Holt’s parents’ relationships than Holt himself.

“This case is about Russell Holt,” Skandalakis said. “It’s not about the personal relationships people have with the Holt family.”

Self asked the attorneys a few questions about the monitoring system but ultimately ruled Holt would receive no bond for now.

When Hogue pressed Self to give a reason for the judge’s ruling, Self said he was concerned about Holt being a flight risk and possibly contacting witnesses in the case.

“I don’t want you or anyone to feel like this is written in stone,” Self said.

Family members hugged Holt’s shaken and crying mother after Self’s ruling. A family member said the family did not want to comment, but defense witness Rivera remained adamant in her testimony.

“He should have been granted bond,” she said.

Information from Telegraph archives used in this report. To contact writer Christina M. Wright, call 256-9685.

This story was originally published May 29, 2012 at 4:52 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Former Georgia probation officer from Warner Robins denied bond in girlfriend’s slaying."