Georgia probation officer accused in Warner Robins killing

WARNER ROBINS -- A man accused in a Warner Robins killing is a probation officer for the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Russell Daniel Holt, 28, of Warner Robins, has been charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the 2:27 a.m. Sunday shooting of his girlfriend inside his residence in the 100 block of Ledford Way, said Tabitha Pugh, Warner Robins police spokeswoman.

His girlfriend, 27-year-old Jessica Nicole Wolfe of Bonaire, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, an autopsy found Monday. The manner of death was ruled a homicide, Pugh said. No other physical trauma was noted in the autopsy, Pugh said.

Wolfe was pronounced dead at the scene of the domestic violence incident, Pugh said. Police were initially dispatched to the residence in reference to a woman not breathing, Pugh said.

A neighbor who was awoken by barking dogs went outside to investigate. The neighbor observed Holt in his own yard screaming and called 911, Pugh said.

The motive for the slaying remains under investigation, she said.

Holt, who was being held Monday without bond in the Houston County jail, has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation, said Gwendolyn Hogan, spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Corrections. Holt has worked for the state since April 2008, Hogan said.

Wolfe served as a legal assistant for the Houston County District Attorneys’ Office. She most recently handled probation violation cases. She’d also worked in the theft/fraud unit in the district attorney’s office.

District Attorney George Hartwig described Wolfe as a “beloved” staff member who was always cheerful and upbeat, pleasant to be around and who was always willing to take on new tasks and learn a new assignment.

“She’s going to be greatly missed ... We’re really like one big family, so this is a very difficult situation to deal with. We feel like we have, in fact, lost a member of our family.

“It’s just a tragic, senseless situation that right now we’re having quite a bit of difficulty trying to reconcile it in our minds,” Hartwig said. “It’s just such a shock to the entire office the events of this weekend. Jessica is no longer with us. But she’s going to be sorely missed and remembered for a long, long time.”

Because Wolfe was employed by the district attorney’s office, Hartwig said he recused himself, asked the state Attorney’s General’s Office to appoint a special prosecutor and since learned that Coweta Judicial Circuit District has been assigned the case.

Visitation for Wolfe is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at McCullough Funeral Home in Warner Robins. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, in the chapel of McCullough Funeral Home with interment following in Parkway Memorial Gardens.

A 2003 graduate of Warner Robins High School, Wolfe was active with Relay for Life with Team Taking a Stand and involved with Animal Rescue for the Cochran Humane Society, her obituary stated. Wolfe was a member of Perry Church of Christ.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559.

This story was originally published March 20, 2012 at 12:00 AM.