Trail From Murdered Alabama Grandparents Leads To Florida

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Kristen Gullion had a swastika tattoo on her stomach and was driving a stolen car that was believed to have been connected to the murder of two Alabama grandparents when she was taken into custody Thursday in South Beach, according to Miami Beach police. The stolen Honda Civic was found steps from the beach but some 800 miles away from the bloody murder scene in Birmingham. The 30-year-old's biggest mistake was parking illegally along tourist-favorite South Pointe Drive.

Meanwhile, in nearby Hollywood, Florida, police arrested 23-year-old Zachary Phillips, who was identified as a suspect in the double homicide. He was allegedly found riding in a car stolen in Miami Beach.

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"When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the vehicle fled and ultimately crashed into parked vehicles at Dixie Highway and Roosevelt Street," Miranda Grossman of the Hollywood Police Department told Patch. She said that the woman driving the vehicle, Vivian De La Rosa Toniana, was also taken into custody.

"Zachary Phillips, who had been in the passenger seat, exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Phillips was believed to be armed," Grossman explained. "Shortly after, the K9 Unit apprehended Phillips, who was found hiding in a yard in the 2100 block of Roosevelt Street."

A Miami Beach police officer discovered Gullion's 2012 gray Honda Civic illegally parked on a rounabout in the 200 block of South Pointe Drive, according to court documents. "A routine computer check revealed the vehicle and tag were reported stolen by Birmingham Police Department on 8/2/2018."

That was the same date that the bodies of 67-year-old Mary Holt and 68-year-old Joe "Steve" Holt were discovered in the 8700 block of 9th Court Circle South in Birmingham, according to Sgt. Johnny Williams of the Birmingham Police Department. Williams did not say whether Gullion was also considered a suspect in the murders.

Williams said that the bodies were discoverred when police received a report of a small child wandering the street along with blood-spattered clothing. The child was later identified as the couple's three-year-old granddaughter.

"The child managed to direct officers to the incident location where officers located two unresponsive adults inside the home," Williams explained.

Both victims were pronounced dead on the scene by first responders from Birmingham Fire
and Rescue. They had lived in their Roebuck neighborhood for decades.

Gullion, who listed her occupation as a laborer, was charged with conspiracy to commit grand theft of a vehicle, a third-degree felony in Florida. She was also also held on an Alabama warrant for receiving stolen property.

Police said Gullion was arrested when she got in the car and allegedly tried to drive away. "Defendant stated it was her friend's car and that in situations like this her father told her to keep her mouth shut," court documents said.

Grace Episcopal Church in Woodlawn, Alabama has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the Holt family.

Photo of Kristen Gullion courtesy Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation