Mother, 19-year-old student were killed by woman’s son in Cary shooting, records show

A woman and a 19-year-old student were killed by the woman’s son, according to a search warrant.

The documents show that Xavier Neil Holton, 19, shot and killed himself after killing his mother, Erica Alyse Holton, and his girlfriend, Aminha Michelle Guy.

The three bodies were found Monday afternoon when Cary police responded to the home on Smokemont Drive in the Linville Ridge neighborhood.

Search warrant revealings

Cary police were dispatched to the home at 2:49 p.m. on Nov. 18, the documents read.

Shawn Certain, Holton’s husband, placed the 911 call after he arrived home to find his wife and Guy.

Officers found the women with gunshot wounds in the downstairs of the house and found Holton with a gunshot wound in an upstairs bathroom. A firearm was in the sink with the hammer cocked.

According to the warrant, Certain was on the phone with his wife when he heard a “loud disturbance” followed by “two loud pops,” but he could not tell what the noise was.

The call dropped and he could not reach Holton afterward. Certain told police that Xavier Holton mentioned “purchasing a firearm.”

Three cars were parked in the driveway of the home and one of them, a 2022 Grey Dodge Charger, had a book bag with NC Central sewn on the front.

911 call released

A 911 call released Tuesday afternoon indicates Certain thought there might have been a burglary when he came home from work.

“I just walked in the house, and I think my wife is on the ground,” Certain said in the call. “I’m at the neighbor’s house right now. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Police have been calling the incident a death investigation and have not released any other information. The bodies will be sent to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsies to more specifically determine the cause of death.

About those killed

A LinkedIn profile appearing to belong to Erica Holton describes her as a contract administrator at Alliance Behavioral Healthcare and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She received a bachelor’s of science in accounting from N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University in 1993 and a master’s of public administration from N.C. Central University in 2012, the profile states.

A native of Roanoke Rapids, Holton had a passion for art and was a dedicated poet, coordinating open mic nights at Raleigh’s City Soul Café and regularly sharing her work throughout the Triangle, according to the biography page for a book of poetry she self-published in July 2016.

“As long as there is breath and ability, her pen will continue to move,” Holton’s biography states.

Son cited for speeding 100 mph

Xavier Holton was a member of the Class of 2023 at Garner High School, where he was an outside linebacker on the varsity football team, his Hudl profile states.

According to media reports, the teen’s girlfriend and her mother were concerned Xavier Holton was showing signs of mental illness, including hearing voices.

Court records show Xavier Holton was cited in a fiery car accident on Interstate 440 East near Six Forks Road in Raleigh at 7:55 a.m. on Nov. 8.

Holton was driving a 2013 Ford sedan at 100 mph when he struck a parked car on the right shoulder of the road, causing both cars to catch fire, the traffic citation states. He was cited for failure to maintain lane control, speeding and reckless driving and scheduled for court Dec. 10, according to court records.

‘Beautiful inside and out’

Guy was a sophomore at N.C. Central University, studying computer science and graphic design, according to a LinkedIn profile, and played volleyball at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, her online recruiting profile states.

“(I am) probably crying every 10-15 minutes or so,” Angela Guy, Aminah’s mother, told ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.

She said her daughter had big dreams and aspirations.

“(She was) ambitious, determined, beautiful inside and out,” she said.

A GoFundMe campaign was created Wednesday morning to help Angela Guy and her Aminah’s sister, Akasha Guy. It had raised nearly half its $15,000 goal by Thursday morning.

We will update this story as we get more information.

This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 8:04 AM.