In June of 2015, Daryle Holloway, a 46-year-old male and a 22-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, was shot and killed in his police SUV. The incident occurred around 8:00 a.m. as he was transporting a prisoner, Travis Boys, to the Orleans Parish jail. Boys had been arrested earlier on an aggravated assault charge.
While in the back of the police vehicle, Boys, who had been handcuffed behind his back, managed to bring his hands to his front. He then revealed a.
40 caliber handgun that had been missed during his initial arrest by a different officer and shot Officer Holloway from the backseat. The fatally wounded officer's vehicle then crashed. Boys fled the scene, prompting an intense manhunt that led to his capture the following day.
Travis Boys was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated escape, and weapons charges. During his trial, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His defense claimed he was not mentally competent, a claim prosecutors countered with evidence of his calculated actions. In March 2018, a jury rejected his insanity defense and, after deliberating for just over an hour, found the 35-year-old Boys guilty of the first-degree murder of Officer Holloway.
Following his conviction, Travis Boys received a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Another officer, Wardell Johnson, who was responsible for the initial arrest of Boys, faced legal consequences for his role in the events. Johnson was charged with and pleaded guilty to malfeasance and obstruction of justice for failing to properly search Boys and for his attempts to cover up his mistakes. He was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison. The United States Supreme Court later denied a petition from Boys's defense team, which alleged racial discrimination in jury selection, affirming the conviction.
