Dateline NBC: Where is Nicholas Holbert now?

The 2012 disappearance of the Fort Bragg soldier, Kelli Bordeaux, led to the investigation into a Fayetteville bartender, Nicholas Holbert, and his conviction in 2015. Holbert was sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for the first-degree murder of Kelli Bordeaux.

Nicholas, a registered sex offender, had been out for drinks with Kelli on April 13, 2014, at Froggy Bottoms Bar after befriending her a week earlier. However, he beat her to death as she confronted him about his criminal past and buried her in the woods close to his campground.

Nicholas Holbert is presently serving time at the Albemarle Correctional Institute in North Carolina. The Dateline NBC episode titled Deep in the Woods re-airs on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 10 pm EST. The official synopsis reads:

"When a young Army medic based at Ft. Bragg, N.C., goes missing, police can't solve the case despite having a suspect until an unorthodox private investigator steps in to help."

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How was Nicholas Holbert arrested?

The combat medic in the U.S. Army, Kelli Bordeaux, was last seen exiting the Froggy Bottoms bar with one of their bartenders, Nicholas Michael Holbert, on April 14, 2012. She had visited the bar for karaoke and drinks after Nicholas befriended her the previous week.

While Bordeaux was reported missing on April 16 after she failed to turn up for work a day later, the investigations began followed by a manhunt involving over 500 people.

The Fayetteville Police Department cleared Bordeaux's husband, Mike Bordeaux, and her secret boyfriend, Justin Thompson, of suspicions but suspected the other person of interest, Holbert. However, they failed to find any hard evidence to pursue the case.

The search for Kelli Bordeaux continued for two years till she was declared dead by the U.S. Army for survivor benefits, as per the Fayetteville Observer. In the meantime, the private investigation company of Marshburn Investigation Agency began their efforts to drill down to the mystery.

David Marshburn, the private investigator and bounty hunter, began to gain Nicholas Holbert's confidence majorly through payments, as per CBS News. Marshburn paid for Nicholas' probation after he was released from prison in 2013 for failing to register as a sex offender.

Armed with a false plea deal offering 36 months in prison and a hoax backstory, Marshburn lured Holbert into a confession. Nicholas Holbert took David Marshburn to his campsite 300 feet behind the Froggy Bottoms bar and led him to Kelli Bordeaux's shallow makeshift grave.

The remains were positively identified to belong to Bordeaux and the autopsy reports stated the cause of death to be blunt force trauma on her head, according to WTVD. The forensic tests matched Nicholas' account of the murder wherein he struck Kelli in the head when she confronted him about his criminal past.

Holbert drove Bordeaux to his trailer and hit her on the head repeatedly once she started screaming after gaining consciousness. He then carried her body to the woods and buried her there.

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Where is Nicholas Holbert now?

Nicholas Holbert pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder and kidnapping of Kelli Bordeaux on August 7, 2015, as reported by WXII12. Instead of the death penalty, Holbert was handed a life sentence with no chance of parole.

Holbert addressed Bordeaux's family during the trial to share:

"I've thought long and hard on what to say or if I should even say anything at all. And I realize there isn't anything I can do or say to ease the pain and suffering that you have endured because of my actions..."

He is presently serving his sentence at the Albemarle Correctional Institute in North Carolina.

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Catch episode 17 of Dateline's season 26 as it airs on Sunday on NBC.