CLEARFIELD CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Clearfield woman convicted of murder in 1998 was resentenced on Friday due to a Supreme Court decision that ruled against her original sentence as a juvenile at the time of the crime.
According to The Altoona Mirror, 36-year-old Jessica Holtmeyer was sentenced to life with no chance of parole in 1999 for the murder of Kimberly Dotts in 1998, which occurred when Holtmeyer was 16 years old.
However, a Supreme Court decision, which was made retroactive, barred life without parole terms for juveniles, allowing Holtmeyer and others in similar circumstances a chance to appeal their terms in prison.
Presiding Senior Judge Daniel Howsare of Bedford County elected to vacate Holtmeyer’s 1999 sentence from Judge John Reilly. Judge Howsare then sentenced her to 35 years to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge, 10 to 20 years on the criminal conspiracy charge, and three to 10 years on the aggravated assault charge, with the second and third sentences running concurrently to the primary offense.
Holtmeyer was also credited for time served, which means she could be eligible for parole in approximately 15 years.
The crime, which made national news at the time, was particularly brutal.
Holtmeyer was accused of hanging 15-year-old Dotts, twice, then hitting her in the face with a large rock after suspecting that Dotts was going to reveal that Holtmeyer and several others were planning to run away to Florida.
Dotts’ body was found, several days later, in a rural area known as Gallows Harbor, in Bradford Township, Clearfield County.
