Charles Holifield
FORT ORD — The Monterey County DA’s Office has announced the filing of murder charges against 56-year-old Charles Allen Holifield, who is currently an inmate at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. Restested DNA evidence identified Holifield as primary suspect in the murder of Christina Marie Williams nineteen years ago.
Back in 1998, the Fort Ord Army Base was being decommissioned and became dissolute as personnel left. The base was in the process of transitioning from a barracks to a community within the city of Seaside and Marina, California.
Back in 1998, in the early evening on June 12th, then-13-year-old Christina Marie Williams took the family dog for a walk. 45 minutes later, Christina’s mother saw the dog wandering alone near their home with his leash still attached. Christina was nowhere to be found.
The family called police within two hours of her disappearance, but Christina was never seen alive again. Her remains were found in the wooded area of the former base seven months later.
The case was initially investigated by the Presidio of Monterey Police Department, along with the FBI. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Local Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) assisted in the investigation. Despite significant effort over the course of almost two decades, there was insufficient evidence to charge a suspect.
Until 2016, that is, when a cold case team in the Monterey Peninsula reviewed the case and re-examined evidence collected from the crime scene. Physical evidence was also re-examined, and tests uncovered sufficient evidence to charge Holifield with Christina’s murder.
Holifield is currently serving a third-strike sentence of 25 years to life in prison for attempted kidnapping and making criminal threats against a woman in September of 1998. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office will file formal charges against Holifield on Friday, April 14th.
