KNOXVILLE, Tenn — A South Knoxville woman will serve a life sentence in prison after a jury convicted her of murdering her boyfriend in 2020.
According to Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen's office, a jury convicted Shanida Holland, 44, of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and filing a false report in the death of her boyfriend, Shabaaka Awolowo, 39, following a four-day trial.
The DA's office said the Knoxville Police Department responded to a shooting at Southside Flats Apartments in South Knoxville on Sept. 17, 2020.
When they arrived, officers found Awolowo dead from a gunshot wound. Officers said Holland denied knowing anything about how her boyfriend died in his apartment.
A year later on Sept. 1, 2021, the DA said a grand jury indicted Holland for murder. She was taken to the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility and held on a $500,000 bond.
Investigators said they later determined Holland had also shot Awolowo during a previous incident after an argument. Police said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation helped recover cell phone video from the victim's phone showing Holland kicking the door into the apartment shortly before the shooting.
In other recordings, prosecutors said Holland told Awolowo she would shoot him again. Another video showed Holland in possession of a gun within minutes of the shooting, the DA's office said.
"This prosecution was possible because of the partnerships between law enforcement agencies that allowed us to recover this critical cell phone evidence,” Allen said.
The judge handed down a life sentence in prison for the first-degree murder charge, which means Holland will serve at least 51 years in prison before she can meet with a parole board. She will be sentenced for the remaining counts on Jan. 6, 2023, and could face an extra 10 years in prison.