Vegas man caught with severed head in stolen truck gets lengthy prison sentence

A Las Vegas man who gunned down and carefully dismembered his friend was sentenced Thursday to up to 45 years in prison.

Eric Holland, 58, was captured in December 2021 while driving a stolen truck that carried Richard Miller’s severed head in a cooler. He pleaded guilty to the murder in July.

Holland and Miller, 65, worked together on odd jobs before a drive to California in November 2021 ended with Holland shooting Miller six times, including bullets to the back of the head and chest.

Eric Holland is pictured after his arrest on Dec. 23, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP)

About a week later, Holland dismembered the victim’s body and stored pieces in coolers. He placed them in a stolen Chevrolet Avalanche, police said.

Holland was driving a different stolen vehicle when he sped away from a traffic stop, according to cops. He led police on a chase before switching vehicles to Chevrolet with the body parts. Holland was driving that truck when he was captured.

During jailhouse interviews with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Holland implied that he killed Miller because he suspected him of killing Jing Mei Zhu, Miller’s ex-wife.

Miller had told Holland that Zhu left him and went to China.

“Eric believes that she is dead and Richard killed her,” Holland’s attorney, David Westbrook, told the Review-Journal.

At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, Holland cryptically referred to his motive, saying “There was a reason.” His minimum sentence will be 18 years behind bars.

Miller’s daughter, Amanda Potter, told the Review-Journal, “I don’t really trust anything that comes out of that guy’s mouth.”

With News Wire Services