A man has candidly revealed that he found out his mom was a murderer after searching her name on Google.
Travis Holman, 36, had a strained relationship with his mom Lynda, now 60, through much of his life.
He claims that she abandoned him when he was 11 to move away with her boyfriend Mark McCollum – leaving Travis and sister Daisy Holman, then 13, to fend for themselves.
Brought up by their aunt and uncle, the kids would see their mom twice a year and speak to her on the phone.
Travis, from Sacramento, California, became increasingly worried about his mom as the years passed and was curious to see what results he would find if he searched her name online.
Travis Holman, 36, had a strained relationship with his mom Lynda, now 60, through much of his life
He claims that she abandoned him when he was 11 to move away with her boyfriend Mark McCollum – leaving Travis and sister Daisy Holman, then 13, to fend for themselves
Travis, a freelance television production assistant, explained how he made the shocking discovery.
‘I Googled the names of a few family members I haven’t seen for a while.
‘I knew my mom had priors, she was convicted of manslaughter in the 90s.
‘I typed her name into Google and the first article that popped up was Lynda Holman’s arrest – I thought it was her previous conviction.
‘But when I looked at the date it said February 16, 2010, and my mind imploded.
‘I went to her arraignment and that was the last time I ever saw her.
‘This time I could see her from the other end of the courtroom.
‘I will never forget the look on her face – it was a combination of complete happiness to see me but at the same time it was shame.’
Travis and Daisy were brought up by their mom Lynda after their dad died on December 13, 1991 from an ongoing heart condition.
Travis said they had a complicated childhood as his mom was a ‘wild child’ but she did care for him and his sister.
He said: ‘I remember she did a lot of partying. For instance, she had a muscle car and I remember us doing doughnuts in it.
‘She was an affectionate mother. All the time it was ‘I love you’ and ‘you’re special’ – my sister and I felt that.
‘We felt loved but she had a difficult upbringing just like my sister and I ended up having.’
In 1998, Lynda went out for a night out and met Mark in a bar and brought him back to the family home in Kendall, Washington, Travis said.
Mark and Lynda dated for months before she abandoned Travis and Daisy and moved to Deming, Washington, to live with her boyfriend, he says, in 1998.
Travis said: ‘She came home after being away for a week or so and packed her duffle bag and never came back.
‘We spent four months fending for ourselves alone.
‘Although we were afraid and terrified we were more afraid to reach out to someone else.
‘When she left we went months without contact and then eventually our auntie and uncle came to collect us.’
Travis and Daisy were brought up by their mom Lynda after their dad died on December 13, 1991 from an ongoing heart condition
Despite Lynda leaving them both, Travis and Daisy continued to have a relationship with their mom and would see her once or twice a year.
Following his discovery about their mom’s conviction, Travis explained: ‘I called my sister immediately but there was no answer.
‘I then called my best friend as I just needed someone to speak to.
‘The next day I drove up to the police station to try and see my mom but I wasn’t allowed.
‘I knew for a fact that she was going to be going away for a long time.’
He later discovered that on February 16, 2010, police responded to a 911 call to investigate a shooting at the home that Lynda and Mark lived in.
When police arrived on the scene, Lynda was outside the property and told the police what happened, according to documents from the Court of Appeals of the state of Washington.
She told the police that Mark made a comment about killing ghosts, according to legal documents.
In response, Lynda took a shotgun off a rack in the bedroom, put the butt of the gun on the floor, and put the barrel up to her chin, according to a court document.
Lynda claims Mark told her to put the gun down and as she was putting the gun back it discharged and shot Mark.
Despite Lynda leaving them both, Travis and Daisy (pictured together) continued to have a relationship with their mom and would see her once or twice a year
He explained his relationship with his mom is now ‘as healthy as it can be’
Mark died on the scene and Lynda was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, according to reporters.
Travis said: ‘According to my mom there was a ghost show on the TV, she went over to the wall where there was a gun.
‘She grabbed it off the wall and said ‘I am going to shoot the ghost and shot Mark in the chest.’
He added: ‘Sitting in the jail, talking through bulletproof glass on the phone wasn’t weird.
‘I saw her in her jumpsuit. It broke my heart because I knew she had done something that was so terrible they were not going to let her out.’
In June, 2010, Linda was found guilty of second degree murder and first degree unlawful possession of a firearm and sentenced to 28 years behind bars.
Travis said: ‘When my sister told me the ruling was second-degree murder and mom would be sentenced to 28 years I collapsed.
‘I told my boss I had to go for the day and yeah it was a lot to process.
‘Even though my mom struggled with alcoholism and likely PTSD from her childhood in foster homes and the trauma of that like I said she was a very affectionate loving mother.’
Travis said he collapsed to the floor when he heard about the length of the sentence.
He explained his relationship with his mom is now ‘as healthy as it can be.’
Travis said: ‘When she calls me there is a common theme.
‘We will catch up on what either one of us are doing and what we have been up to.
‘She will update me on her breast cancer battle, this is her second bout of breast cancer since being in prison.
‘She has had a double mastectomy and she is going through chemotherapy.
‘Apart from that, we joke around a lot.
‘For someone who has been locked away for over a decade, she has a terrific sense of humor.
‘From speaking to her I can tell that she is remorseful for what happened.’