From life sentence to parole: Mass. man’s journey of change for his daughter
As other dads played on swing sets, read bedtime stories and tucked their daughters in at night, Edward Holloman cherished the one weekly visit with his child — inside a Massachusetts prison.
But it was those visits with his daughter, now 16, that inspired Holloman to become a better man, despite being sentenced to life in prison when she was a toddler.
"She's my everything, man. She's the reason why," Holloman said during his parole board hearing on April 3. "She keeps my engine going, keeps me moving forward, trying to better myself. I want her to be proud of me."
Edward Holloman alongside his latest puppy to train, Pete.Sebastian Restrepo
On Aug. 13, the Massachusetts Parole Board decided in an unanimous decision that Holloman, 36, was ready to go home after having served about 17 years in prison, once he serves another 90 days in a lower security prison.
He plans to live with his fiancée and daughter, who was born after he was arrested for killing 24-year-old Curtis Ashford.
May 31, 2008
At 19, Holloman's family was the "Blood" gang. So when he was given a knife and told "Blood needs help," he knew what he had to do.
"He wanted me to go and stab Mr. Curtis Ashford by any means necessary. And he knew that I would do it because of my love and loyalty," Holloman said.
He had joined the gang at 15 after a close friend came back from New York and told him he was starting a Boston version of the gang.
On May 31, 2008, a group of people, including Holloman, had been drinking and smoking when they heard a commotion outside.
The man whose apartment they were in began arguing and fighting with Ashford. At one point, Holloman heard Ashford talk about a gun.
As the fight continued down the street, Holloman and others ran after Ashford. Eventually, Holloman was given a knife and asked to stab him.
He did — twice in the chest and once in the back.
"It was a cowardly act on my behalf. ... I'm ashamed of myself," Holloman said. "And if I could go back, I would. I wouldn't even be there. I wouldn't even be at Mr. Wayne's apartment. I would have stayed at my girlfriend's house at that time."
On Jan. 12, 2010, Holloman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Suffolk Superior Court. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
He first went in front of the parole board in 2023 but was denied.
Trainers are provided a bag full of treats at MCI-Shirley as part of American's VetDog puppy training program.
A recent graduate of America's VetDog program at MCI-Shirley is currently housed with a veteran and providing assistance.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Edward Holloman receives an achievement award at MCI-Shirley on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Edward Hollowman alongside his latest puppy to train, Pete.
DOC Interim Commissioner Shawn Jenkins speaks in front of a crowded room at MCI-Shirley for the America's VetDog graduation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
MCI-Shirley celebrated a graduation ceremony for the incarcerated puppy trainers as part of a program with America's VetDogs on Thursday, Oct. 24.
MCI-Shirley celebrated a graduation ceremony for the incarcerated puppy trainers as part of a program with America's VetDogs on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
MCI-Shirley celebrated a graduation ceremony for the incarcerated puppy trainers as part of a program with America's VetDogs on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Puppies at MCI-Shirley America's VetDog graduation on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Shirley, Massachusetts.
'I didn't know how to love'
Growing up, Holloman felt abandoned and unloved by his family who struggled with drug addition.
"Growing up, it was tough for me out there in the environment that I grew up with," he told MassLive in 2024. "I didn't know how to love."
He thought his gang loved him. But now realizes that wasn't love.
"I was confused. Lost and was looking for a family to fit into. I followed people I thought had my best interest and who loved me," he told the parole board. "I know now and understand that wasn't love or family. I am not that 19-year-old kid anymore. I have changed. I have grown and became a better person for myself and for my community."
During his time incarcerated, Holloman enrolled in multiple programs at the prison, including getting mental health counseling, earning culinary and bookkeeping certificates and earning his GED.
But the America's VetDogs program , which partners with incarcerated individuals to train service dogs for veterans, has possibly made the biggest impact on his life — teaching him to love and be loved.
When he looked at Pete, his 6 1/2-month-old dog from the program, he knew Pete loves him. And Holloman is confident Pete knows he's loved, too.
"One of the most important things it taught me, taught me how to be [empathic], show me empathy, show me how to be compassionate," he said. "The love between me and the dog, it's unbelievable."
It has also made him a better father.
Each week for her entire life, his daughter visits Holloman. But it wasn't until she was 9 that she understood what he did.
"She was hurt and upset. She felt every emotion you could possibly feel. But over time, she forgave him and loves her father," Holloman's fiancée said. "Our daughter fully understands what her father has done. And she is aware that her father may never come home. But she always told me she would never give up on him. And she will always be there for her dad, no matter what."
It was his daughter's picture hanging on Holloman's cell wall at MCI-Shirley , surrounded by words of affirmation, that convinced Holloman to start making changes in his life.
"At that moment, I wanted to change. I needed to change," Holloman said.
But it wasn't a quick path.
He's been sober for more than 10 years, had minimal disciplinary report history and was involved in multiple programs. Still, two years ago, he was denied parole.
Holloman said he was distraught. But he kept pushing forward by digging into and understanding his past.
"I didn't really fully understood my crime and the parole board seen that I wasn't fully understanding my crime," he said. "So I went back and I had to reevaluate my whole situation, my whole life."
During the April meeting, members of the parole board recognized his improvement over the years.
He said he has worked especially hard on his anger management. That means showing your emotions and that crying isn't a weakness.
"If you want to show your emotions, go ahead and cry," he said, adding that "real men cry."
"When was the last time you cried?" one of the parole board members asked.
He had cried in front of strangers as he talked about preparing to come in front of the parole board.
'Without his father at all'
As Holloman prepares to be reunited with his family, Lenise Young's family remains in pieces.
"My nephew's 15 years on this earth was without his father at all," Young told the parole board.
Despite Holloman and Ashford not knowing each other, she said the two men had similar upbringings.
"We grew up in that same trauma he speaks about," she said, adding that their parents also struggled with substance abuse. Both men also had young children at the time.
But they didn't know each other — and that makes it even more painful.
"... you took the life of a man who you did not know for no apparent reason at all," she said. "You snuffed out a life who could have been so much more, who was on the path to do better things with himself, with having a son and his own family and not following the path of his brothers out in the street."
And history repeated itself when her nephew, Curtis Ashford Jr., died in a similar way — getting hit by a bullet while riding his bike.
Zontre Mack, 21, of Canton, was found guilty in October 2024 of first-degree murder after shooting at a group of teenagers. Officials say it's still unclear why Mack started shooting, the Boston Globe reported.
However, Holloman takes responsibility for the teenager's death, too.
"They would have been living different lives if it wasn't for my actions," he said.
During Mack's sentencing, Young told Mack that her brother was taken from their family by "someone just like you."
Someone, she said, who didn't know Curtis Ashford Jr. at all.
And while she'll never see her brother or nephew again, Mack and Holloman get to continue seeing their families. Mack will be eligible for parole when he is 48.
"You still may have a chance at life because you will get out one day," Young said, according to the Globe.
"And God bless you if you do better, because you will get a second chance and we won't. We'll never ever get the chance to see how he would have grown up, what he would have accomplished, what he would have done."
Next steps
In about three months, Holloman will step into the home of his future in-laws — a moment he's long awaited.
He'll be living with his fiancée, her parents and, finally, his daughter. His fiancée believes he's no longer the 19-year-old boy who was a follower.
"[He's] now a man that has a heart and cares about other people's feelings and uses his words to talk things out," she said during his hearing. "Our daughter and I are very proud of the man that Edward has changed into."
He's required to be back home by curfew, get drug tests and continue with mental health counseling.
People are often surprised that she has stayed with him through his entire prison sentence.
"It's because he is a human being, just like you and I. No one is perfect. And we all make mistakes and make bad decisions in our lifetime," she said. "But our past is not who we are as a person. It is what we chose to do in our future."
The couple plan to work together to do good for their community.
Holloman plans to work at a waste management company while he figures out how to take over his father's business, who had a construction flooring company before he got sick.
Holloman also told MassLive he hopes to use the skills he's learned in the America's VetDogs program to continue to help train dogs, including helping more dogs become service animals for veterans.
He even might get a husky of his own — a constant reminder of love and empathy.
More on the Massachusetts Parole Board
Read the original article on MassLive .
