 | This article needs to be updated. (June 2023) |
On May 22, 1995, 16-year-old Jimmy Farris, the son of a Los Angeles Police Department officer, was stabbed to death. Farris and his friend, Michael McLoren, were next to a clubhouse-type fort in McLoren's backyard. Four acquaintances of Farris and McLoren (Micah Holland, Jason Holland, Tony Miliotti, and Brandon Hein) jumped the chainlink fence and approached the fort. There was a fight inside the fort. Farris and McLoren went into the house, bleeding from stab wounds, while the other four climbed back over the fence and left. Farris died before paramedics arrived. McLoren was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center.
The Holland brothers, Miliotti, and Hein were charged with felony murder, among other charges. A fifth male, Christopher Velardo, who remained outside the yard in the truck throughout the incident, was charged with voluntary manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery. Velardo pled guilty to the charges, receiving a sentence of 11 years. The other four were found guilty and received lengthy sentences.
The case received widespread media attention. Public opinion was divided on the application of the felony murder rule in this case and the lengthy sentences given to the defendants.