Crime & Safety

Former Vista Murrieta High Football Players Appear in Court for Sex Charges

Kishawn Tre Holmes and Byron Keith Holt, both 17, were arrested Thursday following an investigation by Murrieta police into allegations that the pair had engaged in illicit conduct with six girls going back more than a year.

Two former Vista Murrieta High School football players accused of sex crimes against a half-dozen girls made their first court appearances today, with a judge ordering one defendant released to his parents' custody and the other to remain locked up.

Kishawn Tre Holmes and Byron Keith Holt, both 17, were arrested Thursday following an investigation by Murrieta police into allegations that the pair had engaged in illicit conduct with six girls going back more than a year.

The boys appeared for a juvenile detention hearing before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Vic Saraydarian, who closed the courtroom to spectators, including the media, permitting only the defendants' family members and attorneys to be present.

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RELATED: Emotions Run High at Hearing For Vista Murrieta Teens Charged With Sex Crimes

After hearing from the parties, Saraydarian ordered Holmes to remain held at Southwest Juvenile Hall but permitted Holt to return home with his parents, on the condition that he remain under close supervision.

Find out what's happening in Murrietawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The defendants' next hearing is Oct. 30.

Holmes is charged with three counts of false imprisonment, two counts each of rape by force or fear and lewd acts on a child under 14, as well as one count of witness intimidation, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

The charges against his co-defendant were not disclosed, but D.A.'s office spokesman John Hall described them as "sex-related."

Hall said more details are being released about Holmes' case than that of his co-defendant because any time an underage defendant is charged with certain crimes -- in this case rape -- hearings are held in open court, unlike most juvenile court proceedings.

Hall said Holt's name was released because "at least one charge that's been filed against him is a serious or violent felony." However, additional details about Holt's case, including the number of counts filed, were withheld because proceedings in his case will not occur in open court and prosecutors are barred from disclosing what happens, according to Hall.

An investigation that began on Aug. 29 led to the defendants' arrests, according to Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad.

He said a Murrieta police school resource officer was first notified of possible sex crimes against children and gathered information that he turned over to detectives on Sept. 3 for further investigation, culminating in the teenagers' arrests nine days later.

"Vista Murrieta High School is a safe campus. The sexual assault incidents ... occurred off campus," Conrad said.

Authorities would not confirm the relationships, if any, between the parties involved.

The defendants both played varsity football for the top-ranked Vista Murrieta High School Broncos. Holmes was a star running back during the team's last season.

Officials with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District expressed dismay at the case, but said the alleged attacks did not occur on the school campus or during any school-related functions.

Outside the Murrieta courthouse, the mother of an alleged victim lashed out as she was trailed by television cameras, saying the teens belonged behind bars.

—City News Service

Editor’s Note: The outcome of these allegations, as well as the facts, may change as the case progresses through the legal system. Not all details of each investigation are made public. All items are alleged to have occurred. There should be no assumption of guilt.





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