Kathy E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Amber Bray, 20, and her boyfriend, Jeffrey Ayers, 23, were charged with
murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the beating and stabbing death
of Bray's mother in January 1996. Bray and her mother, Dixie Hollier,
had a strained relationship, and prosecutors claimed that Bray coerced
Ayers into killing her mother with promises of marriage and his share of
an inheritance worth $300,000. In addition, prosecutors said Bray told
Ayers that she would kill herself if he did not kill her mother.
In a videotaped confession, Ayers admitted to his role in the murder and
insisted that although Bray knew about his intentions, he alone planned
the crime. During his confession, Ayers said that he decided to kill
Hollier when Bray threatened to kill herself because her mother
allegedly abused her so much. (At one point, Ayers even breaks down and
begs police to let him take the blame for the murder and spare Bray.)
Ayers's attorneys argued that Bray manipulated his love for her and
forced him into the slaying.
On the other hand, Bray contended that Ayers decided to kill Hollier
entirely on his own. Bray's defense claimed that she is only guilty of
associating with Ayers.
Deterioration of a Mother-Daughter Relationship
The victim, Dixie Hollier, was a divorced single mother who was a
manager of special projects at Warner Brothers and was involved in
management of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. She lived with her two teen-age
daughters and five-year-old son in a modest duplex in Burbank.
According to Bray's younger sister, Bray and Hollier fought about issues
such as curfews and household chores. Their relationship became
increasingly strained in the fall of 1995, when Bray began cutting
school often and was transferred to Monterey Continuation High School, a
school geared towards students with academic or attendance problems.
Sometimes the arguments between Bray and her mother escalated into
shoving matches, as they fought over Bray's schoolwork and the crowd
with which she associated.
Around this time, Bray also started dating Jeffrey Ayers, a high school
dropout who lived with his mother and was an avid "Dungeons and Dragons"
fan. Ayers soon became Bray's confidant, especially after numerous
fights with her mother. Eventually, Ayers became convinced that Hollier
was abusing Bray and became concerned for her mental well-being.
According to friends of both defendants, Bray and Ayers began making
plans to marry and live together.
The Murder
On January 16, 1996, Ayers entered Bray's house just before 5 am. Police
suspected that Bray met him at the door and let him in. Ayers then
entered Hollier's room and fired five shots at her. Two bullets hit
Hollier, grazing her forehead and shattering her upper right arm. When
Hollier started yelling for help, Ayers began to beat her in the head
with the butt of the gun. Then Ayers went into the kitchen, grabbed
three knives, and stabbed Hollier 24 times.
Awakened by the gunfire, Bray's younger sister ran out of her room to
find Ayers attacking her mother. She tried to call police, but Bray
pulled out the phone cord. The younger sister put the plug back in, but
Bray then allegedly pulled the phone out of the wall and ordered her to
look after her younger brother. As the attack continued, Bray barricaded
herself and her siblings in the back bedroom.
A neighbor heard the gunfire and called police. When they arrived, they
saw Ayers through a window straddling Hollier and continuing to stab
her. With Hollier's blood covering his hands and clothes, Ayers
surrendered without resistance to police. He confessed on video three
hours later. Police began to suspect Bray after her sister told them
that she had pulled out the phone cord when she tried to call the police
during the attack. The authorities also found various letters between
Bray and Ayers in Bray's bedroom that outlined their plan to kill
Hollier.
"Someday in November"
In one of the letters between Ayers and Bray, dated "Someday in
November," Bray suggested that she and Ayers arrange to have her sister
and mother killed while they take her younger brother out to a movie. "I
come home and discover them, call the police...and it goes on record as
another unsolved homicide," she writes. In that letter, Bray also
discusses how she and Ayers would spend her inheritance from her mother.
Ayers responded to the letter by writing, "Your mother and sister will
trouble you no more."
Bray and Ayers were tried together in front of two different juries.
(Ayers's confession was not shown to Bray's jury.) Prosecutors attached
two special circumstances to the defendants' indictments or first-degree
murder and conspiracy to commit murder: (1) the murder was intentional
and carried out for financial gain (2) Bray killed the victim while
lying in wait. If convicted of first-degree murder under special
circumstances, Bray and Ayers faced life in prison without parole. If
found guilty of murder without special circumstances, they faced
sentences ranging between 25 years-to-life in prison. Prosecutors chose
not to seek the death penalty against the defendants because neither of
them have prior criminal records.
The Verdicts
On Feb. 5, 1998, Amber Bray was found guilty of first-degree murder and
conspiracy to commit murder. The next day, Jeffrey Ayers also was
convicted of the same charges. Both were also found guilty of committing
the crimes under special circumstances and under state law, were
automatically sent to prison for the rest of their lives.
--
Kathy E
"I can only please one person a day, today is NOT your day, and tomorrow
isn't looking too good for you either"
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