Her voice trembling but clear, 14-year-old Ai’yauna Young shared the immense grief she has experienced since the night in April 2018 when her mother died at the hands of her father.
A Douglas County courtroom Thursday fell pin-drop silent — save for those who were crying — for about 13 minutes as Ai’yauna told of her difficult childhood with her abusive father, Marvin L. Young. She and her two younger sisters weren’t allowed to speak to one another, play outside or eat much food. Their mother, Camisha Hollis, worked two jobs to pay the bills, but Young mercilessly beat her.
Ai’yauna recalled that she wasn’t able to see her mother very much because of how busy Hollis was, but she would catch her in the mornings and the two would cook breakfast together. Now, those moments are the memories Ai’yauna clings to as she remembers her “sweet†mom.
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“I really thought she would be able to teach me everything that I’ve learned now. I thought she would be able to hold my hand and guide me through things that were tough, and that’s hard, that’s hard ...†she said as she broke down in tears. “I miss my mother to death. I want her to see me grow, I really do, because she missed the majority of those opportunities trying to take care of us and keep a roof over our head.â€
As she spoke, Young stared straight ahead, not looking at his daughter — the one he took out for ice cream in the middle of the night before dumping Hollis’ body in the Missouri River, authorities said.
Young was sentenced Thursday by Douglas County District Judge Horacio Wheelock to 23 to 31 years in prison, a term that will be cut in half under state sentencing guidelines. Young will get credit for a little more than four years already served, meaning he could be released as soon as about seven years and must be discharged after roughly 11½ years.
Young, 40, faced a maximum of 31 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to manslaughter, three intentional child abuse charges and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the death of Hollis, who was 34.
Young initially was booked into jail in the days after Hollis went missing in connection with allegations of child neglect and resisting arrest. Meanwhile, local and federal authorities were searching for Hollis along the Missouri River near Schilling Wildlife Management Area, which is near Plattsmouth.
Young was charged with first-degree murder a little over a year later.
Hollis’ body has never been found, and Young has not shared any pertinent information with police. Authorities think Young killed Hollis — possibly by striking her with a steel-toed boot, strangling her or shooting her — before he put her body in the backseat of her car, drove her body to the river and dumped it in.
Omaha police recovered the GPS location from Young’s phone as he drove around, information that matches video footage of Hollis’ car coming and going from the wildlife area. Young then left Hollis’ car at a downtown hotel. Detectives found the car and reviewed security video of Young putting Hollis’ purse in the trunk before he walked away, wearing slippers.
Officials obtained a sonar image of what looked to be a body in the river, and police dogs indicated Hollis’ scent was near the riverbank, said Brenda Beadle, chief deputy Douglas County attorney. The backseat of Hollis’ car was soaked after Young washed it at a carwash, but authorities found traces of her blood in the car.
Despite that evidence and without a body, investigators couldn’t find any proof of how Hollis died.
“We know where Camisha is, and I know that the family is distraught not hearing it from his mouth. But all the evidence points to what he did with her,†Beadle said.
Prosecutors then reduced the first-degree murder charge to manslaughter, meaning Young would face a maximum of only 31 years in prison.
Martha Hollis, the mother of Camisha Hollis, delivered an impassioned speech to the judge, explaining that she viewed Thursday as “Camisha Justice Day.†Before she spoke, Martha Hollis set up a framed photo of her daughter from when she was about 20 years old. On the top of the frame, Martha Hollis affixed the words “I believe in miracles†with Mark 11:24 from the Bible noted.
“Camisha’s legacy will always be remembered. My daughter who was made of love, caring, peace, a great daughter, but was with the wrong person,†she said. “Your honor, Marvin has no remorse for killing my daughter. It was all about him. ... I can accept that Camisha is gone, because what’s done I can’t undo. But I can’t accept that she was thrown away like garbage or trash.â€
Investigators said Hollis had been trying to break free from Young, who had physically abused her for years. She had told her mother that she had given Young a deadline of April 1, 2018, to move out of her home and left that night after visiting her mother, saying the two were breaking up and Young was leaving the next day.
“He doesn’t know the cry of a mother. He doesn’t know my pain. He doesn’t know that I’m petitioning the heavens day and night that he does not rest until he tells the truth,†Martha Hollis said. “I don’t understand how could he hurt us like that. What did he get out of hurting her? Why couldn’t he be a man and just walk away?â€
Martha Hollis called Omaha police about noon April 2, 2018, to report that her daughter was in danger. Camisha Hollis had not shown up for work, and calls to her cellphone went unanswered.
Martha Hollis and officers went to the couple’s home near 57th and Hartman Avenues and found their three daughters, then ages 10, 8 and 6, home alone on a school day.
Ai’yaunna told authorities that Young had given them cough medicine to sleep the night before, but she spat hers out and stayed awake. In the early-morning hours, she said, she heard scuffling and thought she heard her father hit her mother with a steel-toed boot. She also heard her mother yell “Ouch†and plead for Young to stop.
Young’s attorney, Douglas County Public Defender Tom Riley, said Young has recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia and, at one point, was deemed incompetent for trial. Riley said Young is doing well after taking medication.
Beadle said the mental illness was no excuse.
The daughters, now ages 14, 12 and 10, are in counseling, which may never end because of what they have experienced, Beadle said. The youngest daughter, she said, still believes her mother is alive and could come home.
“And that’s a tragedy because she can never start to heal, ever,†Beadle said. “Unfortunately, because of his actions and his decision not to tell, not to take responsibility, not to be accountable, those kids will never have that peace and Martha will never have that peace.â€
Ai’yauna told Judge Wheelock she doesn’t want to be like her father and struggles with the thought that she could have done more to protect her mother.
Martha Hollis cares for the children, all of whom are doing well in school and are involved in sports and activities.
Ai’yauna especially reminds Martha Hollis of Camisha — she’s left-handed, smart, gets A’s and B’s and is on the honor roll like her mother.
But the emptiness in knowing that their mother won’t see them finish high school and can’t accompany them on fun trips as they grow still pains Ai’yauna.
“Me and my sisters have family who love us half to death and I think that’s enough, but that’s just not the same as losing your mother,†she said. “Everybody else gets to grow up with their mother and then I have to explain why I don’t have mine, and it’s just not right.â€