Career Criminal Sentenced to State Prison in Fall River After DNA Connects Him To Two Area Break Ins

Shawn Holland pleaded guilty last week in Fall River Superior Court to a multi-count indictment charging him with two counts of breaking and entering during the nighttime to commit a felony and two counts of larceny from a building.

On February 22, 2016 at 11:58pm, Raynham Police were dispatched to Landy’s Market at 1417 Broadway for a burglar alarm.  Police observed a window to the right of the front door was broken and pieces of glass were on the ground.  The sales counter was in disarray, the cash register drawer was open, and there were cartons of cigarettes and bags of tobacco products all over the floor. Surveillance video showed a white or light skinned male entered the business through the smashed window, jumped behind the counter, took money out of the register, and then filled a brown cardboard box he had retrieved from behind the counter with several cartons of cigarettes.  The suspect was wearing dark colored winter clothing, a blue face mask, gloves and black shoes with white soles.  The store owner reported 18 cartons of cigarettes and $100 in cash were stolen.

Less than half a mile north of Landy’s, police found a brown cardboard box with a Landy’s Market shipping label on it lying on the side of the roadway.  This box appeared to be like the one the suspect used to carry out all of the cartons of cigarettes.  Police observed the box had fresh blood on it in two locations and a strand of dark colored hair inside the box.  Police swabbed the blood stain on the box and sent the swab to the state lab for analysis.

On August 26, 2016, Attleboro Police were dispatched to City Spirits II at 524 Pleasant Street for a burglar alarm.  Police observed the front window of the business was smashed, a brick in the entry way, and the lower window of the door was smashed out.  Police observed blood on the window frame, on two shards of the smashed out glass, and on a pack of cigarettes behind the cash register counter.  At 4:44am, store surveillance showed the suspect climbed in through a window and then the inner door.  Suspect then climbed over the counter and filled a black duffel bag with what appeared to be nip bottles and cigarettes.  The suspect was a white male, medium build, wearing a black leather jacket, dark grey hooded sweatshirt, jeans, running shoes, and white gloves.  The store owner reported that 32 cartons of cigarettes and 39 individual packs of cigarettes, valued at $4,180.65, were stolen.  Police swabbed the blood stain on the window frame and sent the swab to the state lab for analysis.

The lab developed DNA profiles from both swabs and entered the profiles into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).  The DNA profiles from both blood stains were then linked to the DNA profile of Shawn Holland, leading to his arrest.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Morrissette and the sentence was handed down by Judge Thomas McGuire.

“The defendant is a career criminal who needs to be separated from society for a long time,” District Attorney Quinn said. “This case highlights the value of the CODIS system. If we did not have the defendant’s DNA profile in the CODIS database, this case may have remained unsolved.”