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On Tuesday, February 14, 2023, Fatal Vows on ID will delve into the case of National Guard Margorie Holland's death by strangulation, a tragedy that occurred nearly a decade ago in Minnesota.
Margorie Holland, 37, was 15 weeks pregnant when her husband Roger strangled her to death at their Apple Valley, Minnesota, home and staged a crime scene to make it appear like an accident. The cause of her death was confirmed in an autopsy, which was followed by a thorough investigation that helped discover incriminating evidence against her husband.
Ultimately, Roger Holland was found guilty on four murder-related counts and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole for the murder of Margorie and her unborn fetus.
The upcoming episode, titled Death Outranks Love, will air on ID at 7:00 pm ET. The synopsis states:
"It's a military match made in heaven for Roger and Margorie, but a tangled web of financial secrets and twisted lies ruins the young couple's future; while the rise of their careers and romance seems meteoric, the ensuing fall is deadly."
Margorie Holland's murder: Five quick facts about the strangulation death of the mother-to-be
1) Authorities initially believed Margorie's death was accidental
Margorie Holland's husband Roger was the first to arrive at the crime scene and find her body. He claimed to have left their home on the morning of March 7, 2013, to get breakfast and returned to find Margorie unresponsive, lying face-down wrapped in a blanket at the bottom of the stairs. As per his account, he then rolled her over, administered CPR to no avail, and then called 911 at around 10 am.
Authorities initially believed that Margorie, who was 15 weeks pregnant at the time, tripped down the stairs, given the state in which her body was found. She was taken to Fairview Ridges Hospital, where, at around 11:30 in the morning, she and her unborn child were declared dead.
2) An autopsy revealed injuries inconsistent with a fall and suggested strangulation
However, based on the findings of the autopsy, the medical examiner revealed details that were inconsistent with the story of falling off the stairs. Margorie Holland's thyroid cartilage was damaged along with a number of blood vessels in her eyes, indicating that she had died of strangulation.
The mother-to-be also had multiple bruises and scratches all over her body, including a black eye, scraped arms, and bruised knees and elbows. Moreover, there was dried blood in her nose. This led to the case being formally classified as a homicide.
3) Roger and Margorie Holland were on the verge of divorce at the time the incident
The Hollands' phone records and text messages between the two, which included discussions and fights they had in the weeks before Margorie's death, revealed a detailed version of their marriage and precarious financial status. The text exchanges retrieved from their phones also disputed Roger's previous statements in which he claimed that their marriage was perfect, and they were not facing financial troubles.
In messages sent the night before the murder, Margorie reportedly told Roger that she intended to divorce him and also mentioned that she was going to report him to cops "first thing in the morning" for allegedly stealing her credit card in a text sent 10 minutes prior to the divorce message.
4) Roger Holland was caught lying about his whereabouts and also had sctaches on his face and neck
According to reports, both Margorie and Roger's internet search histories were investigated, and while the former's showed that she was looking into safe abortions, the latter's revealed that he wanted to learn whether someone could break their neck if they passed out and fell from the top of the stairs.
Additionally, Roger had initially told the police that he was on his way, driving to Taco Bell to get her food when Margorie messaged him to get McDonald's instead. Although the texts were discovered on his phone, the timing seemed off to detectives given that both the messages were sent before he was seen leaving the apartment in surveillance footage.
Medical examiners also confirmed that the scratches and bruises on Roger's face and neck showed clear signs of a struggle.
5) Roger Holland was found guilty in the murder of his pregant wife
In December 2013, Roger, 37, was found guilty on two counts each of first-degree and second-degree murder in the killings of Margorie Holland and her unborn, 15-week fetus.
He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction came after prosecutors presented the jury with incriminating digital evidence, including his internet search history.
You can watch the episode of Fatal Vows, titled Death Outranks Love, on ID On Tuesday, February 14, 2023, to learn more about the murder of Margorie Holland.
