On a tragic day in Huntington, West Virginia, the life of 48-year-old Terence Lamont Holmes, an African American man, was cut short. On May 10, 2021, Holmes was discovered deceased inside a residence in the Guyandotte section of the city. He was not alone; the body of 35-year-old Andrea L. Burnette was also found at the scene. Both had suffered from what appeared to be fatal gunshot wounds.
The discovery prompted an immediate and intensive investigation by the Huntington Police
Department. The case was treated as a double homicide, and as detectives delved into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, a connection to a drug trafficking organization based in Detroit began to emerge. This link suggested a motive that extended beyond a simple act of violence, pointing to a more complex and organized criminal element.
The investigation eventually led to a significant breakthrough with the arrest of Dakota Keaton, a 26-year-old resident of Huntington. In September 2024, Keaton entered a guilty plea to two counts of second-degree murder for his role in the deaths of Holmes and Burnette. His plea marked a crucial turning point in the pursuit of justice for the two victims. In addition to Keaton, another individual, 31-year-old Marcellas Cortez of Garden City, Michigan, was implicated in the crime. Identified as a co-defendant, Cortez was incarcerated and is awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in the double murder that claimed the lives of Terence Holmes and Andrea Burnette.
