A gruesome case out of Tuscaloosa County has left a family devastated and a suspect behind bars without bond.
Randall Dejourney, 44, of Tuscaloosa, is charged with murder and abuse of a corpse.
The victim, Karen Hollis, 23, was found dead in a trash bag on the side of Interstate 59/20 on May 16.
Northport Police first received a missing person report on May 8, after Hollis’ family received a Life360 crash notification. Investigators went to her Northport apartment and retrieved security camera footage showing a man walking with her. According to court documents, the man, identified as Dejourney, was later seen leaving the apartment with a large tote containing a large black trash bag.
Police also searched an area of westbound Interstate 59 near exit 62, where her cell phone sent the crash notification. They recovered the cell phone and obtained Dejourney’s cell phone tower data, which placed him at Hollis’ apartment and showed him moving simultaneously with Hollis’ cell phone pings. Detectives followed Dejourney’s cell phone movements after the two phones were separated. Dejourney’s phone showed he exited the interstate and turned around, heading back eastbound on I-59/20.
On May 16, Hollis’ body was found in a black trash bag about 15 feet off of I-59/20 eastbound in Greene County. An autopsy revealed that Hollis’ cause of death was asphyxiation.
Dejourney was originally charged with abuse of a corpse, and the murder charge was added after the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Meanwhile, Hollis’ family is grieving the unimaginable loss. They were helping her move out of her apartment the night before she was killed. Brandy Hollis spoke with 1819 News about the last time she talked to her little sister. She said she seemed to be in good spirits and was not in fear for her life.
“I talked to her the night of May 7th,” Brandy Hollis said. “She called me and talked to me about Snapchat, and she was laughing about it.”
Brandy Hollis said her sister was planning on moving back home with her parents in Empire.
“She became an outgoing person, she liked to go out and do stuff,” Brandy Hollis remembered. “She liked to meet people, hang out with people.”
Hollis was living the life of a young, energetic 20-something, her sister said. They said when they realized Hollis didn’t have her phone, they knew something terrible had happened.
“When she didn’t have her phone, she threw fits,” Brandy Hollis said.
The community still wants to know why Dejourney was with Hollis. He met her through a friend, and they were only acquaintances, Brandy Hollis revealed. But a look into Dejourney’s background shows a sinister history.
He has an extensive criminal record of charges, including robbery, domestic violence, resisting arrest and drug charges. In January, he was determined to be a fugitive of justice out of Escambia County, Fla., where authorities charged him with battery by strangulation.
The victim claimed Dejourney began to strangle her after she refused to have sex with him in their home. She told the court Dejourney had a history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence with her and her child. The woman received a protection-from-abuse order, but Dejourney was charged with violating that order.
Dejourney was picked up in Tuscaloosa County and extradited to Florida, where he was booked in the Escambia County Jail on February 3. According to jail records, he was released three days later.
Just three months and one day after that release, Dejourney came into contact with Hollis as she was preparing to move out of her apartment. The next day, Hollis was dead.
The Hollis family is closely watching every development in the case and hoping to one day gain justice.
“We ain’t backing down,” Brandy Hollis added.
Now that she’s gone, Brandy Hollis said she is having a hard time wrapping her head around what happened. She said it feels like her sister is still with her.
This isn’t the first time the family has been struck by tragedy. Just 10 years ago, their brother died at the age of 23 of testicular cancer. Still, the family of Karen Hollis hopes to keep her memory alive and inspire others.
“Just know that whatever you’re going through, don’t let it get you down,” Brandy Hollis said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by a family friend to help the Hollis family with expenses.
“She was a beautiful, wonderful angel ripped away from her family way to soon in life,” the GoFundMe account states. “She was everyone's beacon of light and joy, and her laughter was always contagious, and she always found ways to laugh through tough situations. She was always the free spirit wild child that everyone always loved and enjoyed being around. She loved to fish, swim, and enjoy the little things in life. Karen (Deann) will always be missed.”
Dejourney is considered innocent until proven guilty. His case has been bound over to a grand jury.
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