No. Either one of them . No. Youre not a murder . Not a murder. Madison holton, high school senior, accused killer. I literally got chills. This is a huge deal. The father had come home and found a lot of drug paraphernalia. They were having issues with him. It was hurting her heart to have this happen. Distraught parents. A Family Meeting explodes into violence. That situation goes from calm to murder in eleven minutes . I mean, its homicide. I didnt hurt either of my parents. I dont think anybody is jumping up and down about having to put a 17yearold boy in jail. This was a lot bigger and a lot deeper than initially we thought. They thought i picked out some weakminded kid. They didnt know who they were playing with. Hello and welcome to dateline. Madison holton was a restless teenager itching for independence. His parents were worried he was headed for trouble. They gave him an ultimatum. Shape up or suffer the consequences. Then in the blink of an eye, two people were dead. Police thought it was an open and shut case, but a Chance Meeting in church would lead to a jawdropping conclusion. Heres josh with eleven minutes. The long road of parenthood, always watching as your kids grasp at life. You cheer from the stands. Do your best to keep them safe. Hoping they make it through this world in one piece. Madison holton was born a handful. His parents, april and michael, could barely keep up. Madison was always the helpful kid. Tonya was madisons moms best friend. She says madison was always sweet and a little different. I remember we had a birdhouse that my mom had brought over and she was going to put it in the backyard. The other kids run, go, play, have fun, you know, oh, mom needs help, whatever. Not available. Madison is like, do you want me to help you do it . School was a battlefield. Madison was picked on. The scrawny kid and a bit of a loner. He was always doing his own little thing. Everything changed by madisons senior year of high school. He sprouted to almost 6 feet. And had less time for dad and mom. Madison was very social. He had a lot of friends. Hanna trailer and madison grew up in the tiny town of eclectic, alabama. He was always the class clown, goofy, making everybody laugh. You know, he might get in trouble for talking too much in class. As madison crossed over into the land of teendom, his parents found themselves without a map. They are about to graduate high school. He was like any of the other kids that thought, oh, im about to gain freedom and im going to push my boundaries a little bit. Madison had started hanging out with a group of friends, but i feel like that group of friends opened a door to marijuana and partying and all that stuff. The door and madison walked through it . Yeah. April worried about where this road might take her son. So she begged her brother, chris, a Police Officer, to talk some sense into madison. I sat down with him and i had a long talk with him. I said this is not the lifestyle you want to choose. At the same time, madison was going through his teenage rebellion. His parents, april and michael, were separating. They were united in their message to madison. Mess up again, and youll go to jail. He had one chance left and on september 11, 2016, he blew it. While his dad was at work, madison threw a house party. Someone else called michael and said, my kid came home from your house under the influence of something, and i want to know what. Michael is embarrassed. Michael calls and says, you need to get to my house. Chris has a twin sister, mike. Michael had a reputation to protect in eclectic. He was the former mayor, former fire chief. How dare you embarrass me in this community. I would be mad if my child threw a party. When Michael Holton walked into the house, he found the remnants of a teenage party. Homemade bongs were throughout the house. A box that smelled suspicious. And that was it. He called the sheriffs office, and we sent a deputy up there. Bill franklin is sheriff of elmore county, and the deputy sent to the house that day happened to be his son. When Deputy Franklin arrived, michael had something to say. Mr. Holton greeted him in the yard and told him, hey, when you come in, youre going to see my son is handcuffed. Im trying to discipline my son. Sheriff franklin says he has seen parents discipline their kids in all sorts of ways. I dont think that his intent was to harm or hurt the kid. He was merely trying to see what he could do to get his attention. To me, put the hand in handcuffs says either im disciplining you and im serious about this, or, im afraid of you. Possible thats what was going on . Could have been. Could have been. The deputy reported april was in the living room. Madison on the couch. His hands cuffed behind his back. Michael asked the deputy how, as parents, they could get the juvenile courts involved. He was very, i would say, inquisitive about what could he do to paperwork wise, to get his child in front of a judge so he could talk to the judge about the problems that he was experiencing with the child. So maybe straighten him out, in his view. Thats right. Thats right. Call it tough love if you want. To the sheriff, michael and april just seemed to be grasping for a solution. They pretty much reached their end. One of those things. These were not people in the mist of some huge fight. No, not at all. The deputy left michael and april with instructions about how to get a copy of the Police Report the next day. A monday. He leaves and supposedly everything is okay. Eleven minutes later, theres a 911 call. Thats correct. Now, Law Enforcement was rushing back to Michael Holtons house. Gun shots had been fired. Only three people had been in that home. And now one of them was dead. Another lay dying. What had happened in just eleven minutes . Coming up. We notice trauma, what appeared to be blood trauma. A marriage on the rocks. What did you see . She would just share little stories. And bodies in the bedroom. We discovered what appeared an entry wound to the back of his head. You go forward with a homicide investigation. You get a piece of paper that says homicide. When dateline continues. Oooh i cant wait for this Family Getaway shingles doesnt care. Shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. Ahhh, theres nothing like a day out with friends. Thats nice, but shingles doesnt care 99 of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate at any time. A perfect day for a Family Outing guess what . Shingles doesnt care. But shingrix protects. Only shingrix is proven over 90 effective. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. 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Ask your gastroenterologist about rinvoq Josh MankiewiczMichael Holtons front lawn was a Disaster Scene, with everyone trying to make sense of what had happened. Holtons front lawn was a Disaster Scene with everyone trying to make sense of what had happened. Inside, two people lay on the bedroom floor. A pistol between them. All arriving deputies knew for sure was that the situation had escalated in almost no time at all. About 4 48, our deputy leaves. 4 59, we receive another 911 call. Whatever happens, it happens in eleven minutes . Thats right. Captain chris ogden was an investigator on the case. Madison left his residence and reported to his neighbor that his parents were involved in a physical altercation. Madison told investigators it all started as soon as the deputy who had been there about the house party left. After his parents came back in, after speaking with the deputy, they went into the bedroom and came involved in a physical fight. Does madison say what the fight is about . I believe the assumption was, obviously, it had to do with madison. The neighbor said it was an attempted murdersuicide. Michael holton was dead by the time deputies arrived. Madisons mom was unconscience, but breathing. Investigators first thought was, mr. Holton shot his wife and then himself. From what we had been told, you would think that he actually shot her, mr. Holton, and then would have turned the gun and shot himself. Thats what one would tend to believe. Aprils injuries suggested she had been shot through her hand first. As if she put it up to protect herself. And then as she turned her face away from the gun, she was shot in the head. Michaels injuries appeared selfinflicted. We noticed trauma, what appeared to be blood trauma in his mouth. He probably shot himself in the mouth. They were two parents on the same page about their teenage son. What happened to this couple in only eleven minutes . April and michael got together in high school. They married after graduation and pretty quickly became the parents of three kids. She was all about her kids all the time. Always kind of thought she was like, this do it all kind of mom. Made it seem effortless. She did. She always looked good. She always put her best foot forward. Michael holtons friend remembers him as a fixture in eclectic. You couldnt go around town without him being recognized. He worked his way up from paramedic, to fire chief, and then mayor. Everyone knew him, knew him as a leader. He was always very nice, very funny, very easy going. He and april seemed happy . Yeah. Yeah. They did seem happy. For a long time. And then that changed . Yeah. What did you see . She would share little stories. Maybe he wasnt as nice to her. He didnt talk to her like he would talk to someone you love. Tonya says april felt she couldnt do anything right in the marriage. By summer, 2016, she was done. April filed paperwork for a divorce. I think she was at peace with her decision. Was mike at peace with it . No. No, mike was not. Too late. April had made her decision. And on september 11, 2016, april only answered michaels call because the latest Family Crisis was about madison. Obviously, madison had thrown a party and so they had to talk to madison about it. And she was like, im going to have to go over there. Sounds like she didnt want to go over to mikes. No, she did not want to go. She did not. But, she was going to. I mean, she needed to go for madison. So had Michael Holton just snapped in a fit of sorrow and rage . Thats what it looked like to investigators. At first. So when you finally move his body we discovered what appeared an entry wound to the back of his head. So thats the first false note here. That changed the dynamics of the investigation. Ive been in Lawen Forcement for 39 years, i have never seen anybody try to commit suicide in such a weird, unique manner. If you argue that mr. Holton did shoot his wife and then turned the gun on himself, why such a bizarre way to do that . The next morning, a State Pathologist confirmed, Michael Holton had a close Contact Wound at the base of his head. To investigators, the angle seemed telling. The only way we were able to do that is hold a gun upside down and place it upside down and then angle it, because remember, the angle is upward. Upside down and using his left hand. The thing about that is, Michael Holton was right handed. Normally, when men commit suicide, they use their dominant hand, not their weaker hand. Thats right. To the sheriff and his investigators, that made suicide improbable. And the pathologist agreed. He classified Michael Holtons death a homicide. He does not believe that man would have killed himself or would have been able to kill himself in that manner. And so you go forward with a homicide investigation. Its not a head scratcher. You get a piece of paper that says homicide. This was now a murder investigation. And if there were three people in that house, and two were victims, that simple arithmetic made madison the prime suspect. What happened in those eleven minutes . The interrogation begins. Coming up. I jumped up. I ran to the master bedroom door. I kicked it open, and my dad was holding her like this. I was like, i need to go help. I sprinted, screaming help, to my neighbors house. Madisons dramatic story. Will Police Believe it . He didnt seem that upset. No. No. He seemed more concerned about a missing homecoming. When dateline continues. Its a beautiful. Day to fly. Wooooo Josh Mankiewicz april holtons Twin Brothers chris and Mike Were Keeping Vigil in the icu. April holtons Twin Brothers, chris and mike, were keeping vigil in the icu. Their sister had been shot in the head and there was little doctors could do. You see in the movies with the machine breathing for the person. This is far more surreal than what it seems like in the movies. This is goodbye. There is no more hugs. There are no more phone calls. There are no more birthday videos, this is it. It was 11 00 on September The 12th when they pronounced april dead. Worst day of your life . To date. One person who did not get to say goodbye was aprils oldest son, madison. Was now a murder suspect. He had been questioned that morning at the sheriffs office. After one round of interrogation, the sheriff asked madisons uncle chris to join them. Theres a reason hes in here. He has a disinterested heart. I didnt know what to think. I didnt know if madison did it. I didnt know if he didnt do it. I did not see any evidence. Heres what madison says happened after the first deputy left. My dad, like, signaled my mom to go into the room, and she did, and he shut the door. After five minutes, you heard your mom . Scream help. What did you do . I jumped up. I ran to the master bedroom door, i kicked it open, and my dad was holding her like this. I was like, i need to go get help. I sprinted, screaming help to my neighbors house. He didnt see or hear what happened next, not even the gun shots while he was at his neighbors house. The sheriff wasnt buying that one bit. Will you agree with me that there was a gun shot fired . I mean, as of what ive been told, yes. But you never heard that . No, sir. Investigators thought madison didnt seem like a kid who was sad about what had happened to his mother and father. Do you feel like any of this is on you . I dont know. I didnt hurt either of my parents. The doctor down there says they didnt shoot themselves. I dont care what the doctor said. I didnt shoot my parents. And madisons own uncle, an officer himself, knew the significance of this moment. This will be the only time that if your story is any different than what you told me listen to me. If its any different, okay . Now is the time to tell them. Lets say you went in and your dad has your mom by the throat. Maybe madison shot his dad to protect his mom . You are offering him a story that you know fits the evidence and is also i saw my sister. I saw her hand was wrapped in gauze, which tells me something happened to her hand. And at some point, she was shot through the hand, through the head, which is a defensive position. Back in the interrogation room, madison stuck to his version of events. I already told you all everything that i know. I told you everything that i know. As the interrogation was wrapping up and the sheriff and chris were walking out, madison made a gesture in their direction. To the sheriff, that Middle Finger came out of nowhere. And later investigators reported madison was talking about homecoming on the way to take a blood sample. He seemed more concerned about a missing homecoming, school, and things of that nature. He didnt seem that upset . No. No. And heres a call that was recorded from jail a few days later. What did all the girls say about it . Thats what i wondered. The people that i slept with, what are they thinking about right now . Like oh, im a murder. That kind of talk didnt prove anything, but it did Strike Investigators as odd. As they continued gathering evidence. They decided to test some elements of madisons story. Madison had said he didnt hear the gun shots. So Law Enforcement did an experiment. And they recorded it. We took the same weapon and the same grain ammo to do these tests. Madisons story that he ran from his dads house to a neighbor, 200 feet away. And that he didnt hear the shots on his way or once he arrived.