Females on Death Row

Only a handful of females are currently awaiting execution in the United States. Texas accounts for many of them. While their stories may be different, certain similarities exist. This article looks at the stories of two women born in the same year, in the same state, both of whom ended up with the same fate- awaiting execution on death row.

Brittany Marlowe Holberg was born in Potter County, Texas on January 7, 1973. Brittany did not complete high school, although she did complete her junior year. Prior to her conviction and incarceration, she was a common laborer.

A slender female of medium build, Brittany was no stranger to crime. Earlier in 1996, before the murder was committed, she had been in trouble with the law due to substance abuse. After completion of a Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Program, she was released in September of 1996.

On November 13, 1996, an 80-year old white male was stabbed almost sixty times in his home in Randall County, Texas, after being struck with a hammer. The crime was a violent one. Several weapons were used during the commission of the crime, including a hammer, a paring knife, a grapefruit knife, a butcher knife, and a fork. A lamp pole was shoved partially down the man’s throat. The crime was violent.

There were no co-defendants in this trial. Brittany Marlowe Holberg was convicted for the heinous crime on March 27, 1998. At the age of 25, Brittany was sentenced to death row for the murder of the 80-year old white male. Now, at the age of 33, she is currently awaiting fulfillment of her sentence as one of the inmates on death row in Texas..

Erica Yvonne Sheppard, an African-American, was born on September 1, 1973 in Bay City, Texas. She completed high school and had no prior prison record. At the age of 19, Sheppard was already the mother of three young children. She was an unemployed, battered woman.