Ellington

A young mother of six, Tracy Collier, is the latest victim of domestic violence in Jackson. Police found Collier, 33, stabbed to death in her yard at 2408 Brookside Drive on Monday, April 14. As a final indignity, her accused attacker, Torrian Holmes, also 33, allegedly ran over her body with his car as she lay in the yard of her home. The autopsy on Collier's body, reportedly completed Monday night, should indicate whether she was already dead at the time.

Jackson Police crime-scene investigator and spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Scott told the Jackson Free Press via telephone that Holmes, father of four of Collier's children, served time for shooting Collier previously, but Scott did not know if there was a restraining order against Holmes at the time of his most recent contact with her.

Scott told the Jackson Free Press that the altercation apparently began in Collier's home, and then spilled out into the yard. Neighbors told police that they saw Holmes drive away, and police apprehended him a short time later. Holmes was injured, Scott said, in a manner consistent with Collier's defending herself, his face apparently lacerated. Holmes was treated and released by the Mississippi Medical Center, and is now held at the Raymond Detention Center. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

"It's a lose-lose situation for everybody," Scott said. "You have three families destroyed: her family, his family and the community." Scott expressed dismay over how to solve the domestic violence problem in Jackson. "You can't put a policeman in every home," he said.

"These women, they just stay with these guys (who) beat them, they just (do things) you wouldn't do to a dog, and these women choose to stay with men like that. I'll just never figure that out," Scott said, echoing a familiar refrain. But although blaming the victim is a common response to domestic violence, it sheds no light on solving an ever-increasing and complicated community issue.

Collier is the 21st homicide victim in Jackson this year. Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith did not return calls for this story.

Previous Comments

ID

118622

Comment

This. is. an. outrage.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-04-16T09:23:01-06:00

ID

118623

Comment

Is this the woman with 6 kids? My heart goes out for them and the rest of her family.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2008-04-16T09:29:27-06:00

ID

118624

Comment

When.Does.It.End?

Author

golden eagle

Date

2008-04-16T09:30:57-06:00

ID

118626

Comment

I think the Chick Ball organizers may need to have some sort of "In Memoriam" dedication to all the women who have lost their lives to domestic violence since the last ball. Heather Spencer, Doris Shavers, Latasha Norman, Tracy Collier...these women need to be honored in some way.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-04-16T09:47:02-06:00

ID

118628

Comment

Agreed, L.W. We already have permission from some of the families to have the event in honor of their loved ones. It's so tragic how the list keeps growing.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-04-16T09:55:47-06:00

ID

118647

Comment

I've tried to send this by email but maybe I missed some people. I've done a letter of tribute to these women on my blog. Please stop by and check it out and comments are welcomed. Called: Domestic Voilence - The Voice Not Heard (www.myspace.com/queenfolayan). It is really sad and my heart goes out to these families. I'm actually pretty fed up with this. No wonder the increase in lesbianism...(okay sorry if that was distasteful). But let me just say that this is really a SERIOUS issue in this city. It's almost a regular thing. Like an alternative to arguing -- seems like. WOW!!!!

Author

Queen601

Date

2008-04-16T13:27:10-06:00

ID

118649

Comment

My heart breaks for these women and their families. I'm disgusted that after all the incidents in 2007, the JPD is still singing that same, horribly off-key tune. Time to ramp up getting the Chick Ball word out. We've got to stop this crap.

Author

kp

Date

2008-04-16T14:03:04-06:00