What happened to Christie Holt? Details explored ahead of American Monster on ID

The American Monster episode Love is Deaf delves into the murder of Christie Holt. The episode will air on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at 9 pm EST on Investigation Discovery and will be available for streaming on Prime Video.

In late July 2021, Indiana police encountered the horrific murder of Christie Holt, who was stabbed 51 times by her former boyfriend, Marcus Garvin, on July 24, 2021. Multiple wounds on her body suggested an intense struggle and subsequent attempts at dismemberment. The body was disposed of six days after the murder, in the woods near an inn.

Christie Holt's decomposed body was found near the outskirts of the Always Inn motel in Indianapolis. She had been living in the motel with Garvin. Suspicions grew when neither the staff of the inn nor her family members heard anything from her for almost a week.

A desk employee's suspicion grew when he saw a man dragging something wrapped in a bedsheet, on the CCTV camera. The police were informed when the staff saw Marcus returning to the inn drenched in sweat. Upon being shown the tape by authorities, Marcus confessed that he had murdered Holt.

The official synopsis of the episode reads:

"When Christie meets Marcus in high school, they think they've found love's young dream; as the relationship becomes rocky, Christie begins to fear Marcus's violent tendencies; little does she know, all her fears will soon become a reality."

Christie Holt was reportedly stabbed twice in the neck: Details explored ahead of American Monster on ID

Marcus Garvin was an ex-convict (Image via Amazon Prime Video)

Christie Holt was raised in Beech Grove, Indiana, along with four other siblings. She was a quiet child with a love for arts and crafts. Christie first met Marcus Garvin in high school. They soon started dating and eventually moved in with each other.

It was reportedly known that Marcus was abusive towards Christie, as per IndyStar. Marcus went through her phone and found that she was talking to a man. The messages revealed that the duo had been mocking Marcus' lack of ambition for the future, as per an affidavit.

In a fit of rage, Marcus reportedly stabbed her twice in the neck. While Christie couldn't scream after this, she struggled to free herself, but Marcus continued stabbing her until she died.

When the authorities came to Garvin's room, 210, he acted like he had been asleep. When asked about the knives near the bathtub, he said he was doing the dishes. Marcus had previously been convicted in 2020 for battery, and the police found that his GPS device had been cut off from his ankles. The room had no bedding and smelled of human decomposition, as per Law&Crime.

After denying all the accusations, Marcus accepted that he had murdered Christie Holt when the police showed him the CCTV footage.

As per CBS4 News, Marcus' trial began in June 2023, when he requested a plea deal with the court. He was sentenced to 45 years in jail and is currently at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Indiana. Marcus will be eligible for parole in 2055.

5 chilling details about Christie Holt's murder explored

1) Christie Holt's decomposing body was found near a creek on July 30, 2021

Marcus disposed of the body near the river (Image via Pexels/Mali Maeder)

A desk employee at the motel where Christie Holt had been staying called the police after witnessing Marcus' suspicious activity. Authorities found Christie's decomposing body in a wooded region near the Inn. It was also reportedly revealed that after killing Christie, Marcus wrapped her body in a bedsheet and dragged her to the outskirts.

He was reportedly seen sweating when he returned to the motel after disposing of the body. His jeans and shoes were wet as well.

2) Christie Holt was kept in the room for six days

On July 24, Marcus confronted his ex about the messages he discovered on her phone and she denied it, according to an affidavit. He soon got enraged and grabbed a small knife and stabbed her multiple times until she died.

The body was kept in the room for six days (Image via Pexels/Lalesh Aldarwish)

Marcus kept the body in the room for six days, trying to figure out how to dispose of the same. As the body started to decompose, he placed it in the bathtub and turned the shower on to hide the smell. The authorities were soon informed about the smell in Marcus' room.

3) Marcus stabbed Christie over 51 times

The autopsy reports of Christie Holt revealed that she was stabbed more than 51 times, as per an affidavit. Wounds were found on her neck, thighs, head, and chest. She had fatal injuries on her right and left jugular veins, defensive wounds on both her arms, and a deep cut on her lower leg.

4) Marcus tried to dismember Christie's body

Marcus tried to dismember the body (Image via Pexels/Kat Wilcox)

After the murder, Marcus reportedly tried to clean the body in the bathtub. He then attempted to stuff Christie's remains into a grocery cart, but when it didn't fit, he tried to cut the body with a sickle knife. When he failed to do so, he wrapped the body in a sheet and comforter and dragged it to the wooded area to be disposed of.

5) Marcus had already stabbed a person before Christie

Marcus was already prosecuted once before the murder (Image via Pexels/RDNE Stock project)

As per the affidavit, Marcus had already been arrested for battery by means of a deadly weapon. This was in connection to a 2020 stabbing. He was arrested on December 26, 2020, and his bail was set at $30,000. It was later reduced to $1500, and he was placed on GPS monitoring in January 2021.

The new episode of American Monster will shed light on the case when it airs on July 21, 2024.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay