Joseph Lee Holeman, 45, of Lufkin, was found mortally wounded just inside the doorway of an apartment at the Deer Cross Apartments in the 3000 block of South First Street around 4:30 p.m. on August 14, 2025. Paramedics confirmed that Joseph Lee Holeman, 45, male, had died at the scene. According to police, the apartment manager had heard gunshots, saw a man leave the apartment, and called 911. Texas Ranger Corey Seymore assisted at the scene as Lufkin detectives began their investigation.
Officers detained 32-year-old Dean Alexander Orlov outside the apartment and later charged him with murder in the death of Joseph Lee Holeman, 45. Police noted that earlier in the day Joseph Lee Holeman, 45, male, and the suspect had been drinking at the apartment complex pool. The apartment manager told detectives she saw Orlov come from the unit after the shots and heard him claim that Joseph Lee Holeman attacked him. The investigation was ongoing as of August 15, and Orlov's bond was set at $500,000.
Local coverage and public records mark the case as a fatal shooting in Lufkin on August 14, 2025, listing Joseph Lee Holeman, 45, as the victim. Memorial pages created soon after the killing identify him by name and age and place his death in Lufkin on the same date, while a gun-violence incident log records a single fatality at the South First Street location.
In the days that followed, family notices announced services for Joseph Lee “Joey” Holeman, 45, of Lufkin, including visitation and a funeral at Promise Land Baptist Church with burial at Pine Grove Cemetery. Those remembrances described Joseph Lee Holeman, 45, male, as a Walmart stocker who loved his nephews, fishing, and the Dallas Cowboys, and as someone remembered for his big heart.
By mid-August reporting, authorities had named Dean Alexander Orlov as the sole suspect and confirmed his arrest on a murder charge in the death of Joseph Lee Holeman, 45. No other suspects had been publicly identified, and police stated that detectives were continuing their work on the case.
