Sins of the South is examining the murder of Army Spc. Kelli Bordeaux, who was beaten to death by Nicholas Holbert in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
In 2012, Bordeaux was a soldier based at Fort Bragg, now known as Fort Liberty, when her relationship with her husband broke down.
The 23-year-old had become friendly with Holbert, though there is no evidence they were actually dating. Holbert did odd jobs for the Froggy Bottoms bar on the outskirts of Fayetteville, not far from the army base.
On April 12, 2012, Bordeaux and Holbert were at the Froggy Bottoms, hanging out, playing pool, and singing karaoke. At some point, it appears Bordeaux received a text from a friend, seemingly warning her that Holbert was on the sex offenders register.
Bordeaux sent an anxious text message to a man she had recently dated, stating Holbert was going to take her home. As they walked toward Holbert’s car, Bordeaux made a comment about him being on the sex offenders register, which caused the killer to lash out, knocking her unconscious.
Holbert then took Bordeaux to a nearby campsite where he was living at the time. At some point, Bordeaux woke up and began screaming, causing Holbert to beat her to death. He then buried her in the woods.
Bordeaux was reported missing, but multiple searches failed to find any clues about what had happened to her.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelCops suspected Nicholas Holbert was guilty of Kelli Bordeaux murder, but they had no evidence
The police were obviously highly suspicious of Holbert, but they struggled to find evidence against him. He claimed he had dropped Bordeaux off near her apartment and never saw her again.
The police charged Holbert with violating the sex offender registry, but they couldn’t pin the murder on him, and he was soon back on the streets.
Sometime later that year, David Marshburn, a private investigator working with the cops, befriended Holbert, and after a few months, he succeeded in getting a confession out of the killer. He said he was drunk and snapped when Bordeaux commented on his previous offense.
Nicholas Holbert convicted for killing Kelli Bordeaux
In May 2014, two years after Bordeaux’s murder, Holbert led Marshburn to where he buried her in a shallow grave in the woods.
The killer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
At his sentencing, Holbert apologized to the victim’s family, claiming he was “truly sorry” and added, “Hopefully, one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Bordeaux’s mother, Johnna Henson, told him to “go to hell.” Henson described her daughter as her “shooting star,” adding, “She was a determined, beautiful, young lady who had everything going for her in her life.”
Sins of the South airs Sundays at 7/6c on Oxygen.