Pair Arrested In Florida Stayed Across Street From Slain Couple

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The double homicide in Roebuck that took the lives of Mary and Steve Holt August 2 has not netted any official charges, but a pair of north Alabama felons are being questioned after their arrest on Miami Beach. They were in possession of the Holts' stolen car, and new information reveled that they had been staying across the street from the Holts for weeks prior to the murder.

A report by Alabama Media Group said Zachary Phillips and Kristen Gullion have not been charged by Birmingham police with any crime in connection with the deaths of Mary and Steve Holt and Sgt. Johnny Williams reiterated on Monday that the department has not named them as suspects, though police in Florida said they were wanted in connection with the case.

Related story: Victims Whose Granddaughter Led Police To Their Bodies Identified

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Neighbors said the home where Phillips and Gullion had been staying was a drug halfway house run by Expect a Miracle treatment center. Representatives from Expect a Miracle told Alabama Media Group that the organization had not leased the home for that purpose for several months, and that a graduate of the program had been living there since the lease was terminated. Neighbors said they often saw the pair sitting on the front porch of the home.

Miami Beach police arrested 30-year-old Kristen Gullion after the vehicle she was driving was found parked illegally. A check of the vehicle revealed the 2012 Honda Civic was reported stolen in Birmingham. Meanwhile, in 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.

The Birmingham Police Department received the report about a young child wandering the street alone the afternoon of August 2, and when investigators arrived, they noticed the child's clothing was stained with blood. The child, later identified as the three-year-old granddaughter of the couple who lived in the home, led officers to two unresponsive adults inside their home. Both adults were pronounced dead on the scene at 4:41 p.m.

Photos via Broward County Jail, Miami-Dade County Jail

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