Gary Scott Holland Charged With Murder and Attempted Rape of Kathleen Horan

Kathleen "Kate" Horan

​The alleged murder of Kathleen Horan has taken an even more macabre turn with the announcement of the charges against suspect Gary Scott Holland this morning. Not only does the parolee face murder and robbery counts -- but also attempted rape.

District Attorney Kamala Harris announced that she charged Holland this morning with one count of murder, two counts of residential burglary, one count of residential robbery, and one count of attempted rape of the Russian Hill woman who opened her door to him on Oct. 29.

Police discovered Holland lying in the bushes near Sutro Heights Park in the Outer Richmond District on Friday morning, almost at the same time police were announcing in a press conference that Horan's murderer had entered the 900 Chestnut Street apartment building by posing as a public utilities worker. The suspect had knocked on residents' doors and said he was checking for a leaking gas pipe. "During the course of that contact [in the park], there was information that led us to ultimately bring him back to the station," said SFPD Assistant Chief Jeff Godown today.  

Harris said the alleged murderer was playing on the recent PG&E gas pipe explosion in order to gain entrance to the victim's apartment building. "Any one of us would have done what [Horan] did that day," Harris said.

"In the Bay in particular," Harris continued, "we are all susceptible in terms of what may happen in terms of acts of nature or acts of PG&E that may leave us very concerned about a potential gas leak, about what may go wrong with our electrical systems, what may go wrong with any of our utilities. In that way, this defendant was a true predator and put himself out in a postition of trust to this victim so she opened that door."

"We believe that the evidence will show beyond a reasonable doubt, with the submission of DNA evidence, that he is the perpetrator of this crime."
 
Holland was convicted in 1999 in Fresno County of attempted murder, and, after serving time in prison, was released on parole. Holland will be arraigned Tuesday morning.

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