August 2, 2004
Fayette County, Georgia
Holly Harvey (left) and her girlfriend Sandy Ketchum (right) kill Harvey’s grandparents
On August 2, Ketchum suggested they steal a truck belonging to Harvey’s grandfather. Harvey commented “We’ll have to kill them first,” though she claimed at trial that she “didn’t mean nothing by that.” Also during trial, when asked why the girls carried out the murder, Harvey claimed “For Sandy. So that we could be together.”
The girls grabbed knives from the kitchen and practiced stabbing techniques on a mattress before they attacked Harvey’s grandparents, stabbing both multiple times before running away. They were apprehended within hours.
Ketchum was immediately remorseful and fully cooperated with police which reduced her eventual sentence. Both girls were tried as adults, but Harvey, who received a steeper sentence, was immune from the death penalty due to her age. In exchange for her cooperation, Ketchum received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 10 years. Harvey received two life sentences.
