In the summer of 1993, a wave of violence was gripping Denver, and for one young couple, the escalating crime in the city would irrevocably shatter their lives. Tom Edward Hollar, a 30-year-old man, and his wife, Christine, had recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Hollar was a successful entrepreneur who had moved to Denver from Michigan and opened a trendy clothing and skateboard shop called Imi Jimi.
He was known for his kind nature and his deep love for his wife.
On the early morning of July 23, 1993, as the couple returned to their Capitol Hill-area home, they were ambushed by two men in their apartment building's parking lot. The assailants demanded their money and car keys. In an attempt to protect his wife, Tom Hollar was shot and killed on the sidewalk. The attackers then forced Christine into their car and drove away. She was later found in an alley, having been savagely beaten and left for dead. Despite suffering severe injuries, including a crushed orbital bone, Christine survived the horrific ordeal.
The senseless murder of the young business owner sent shockwaves through the Denver community. The investigation quickly led police to two suspects: Steven Harrington and Shane Davis. Witnesses described the attackers as two Black men in their late 20s. During the subsequent trial, Christine Hollar bravely testified against her attackers, identifying them as the men who had murdered her husband and left her for dead. The prosecution presented further evidence, including a coin purse belonging to Davis found in the Hollars' car. In 1994, both Harrington and Davis were found guilty of murder and a litany of other charges. They were sentenced to life in prison plus 200 years.
Years later, the case resurfaced when questions arose about the use of hair microscopy analysis in the original trial, a technique that has since been discredited. Harrington, one of the convicted killers, sought to have his conviction overturned based on this. However, in a turn of events, a DNA test conducted on a hair found on a t-shirt near the abandoned car—technology not available at the time of the trial—conclusively proved the hair belonged to Steven Harrington, reaffirming his guilt in the brutal crimes. The convictions of both men for the murder of Tom Hollar and the assault on his wife have been upheld, bringing a measure of finality to a case that had long haunted the city of Denver.
