Trial for man accused of raping, murdering Seaside girl in 1998 begins
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Charles Holifield, the man accused of raping and murdering a Seaside girl in 1998, appeared in court for his first day of trial Monday.
The victim, 13-year-old Christina Williams, disappeared in June 1998 when she went to walk her dog. Her remains were found seven months later in a remote part of Fort Ord.
Holifield was charged with the crime in 2017. He is currently serving 25-years-to-life for previous kidnapping and rape convictions.
Eight witnesses were called to the stand during the trial Monday.
The first witness was a victim from a 1979 rape conviction. The girl was in high school at the time, and she was attacked and raped by Holifield at a car wash in Marina.
The second and third witnesses were Christina Williams' parents. They said they moved to California from Japan in 1997 and described their daughter as a shy, caring, thoughtful and respectful girl. They also described the night Christina went missing. Her parents said she took the dog out for a walk and did not come back. The dog was found, but not Christina, so they went to police and stayed up all night.
The fourth witness was a victim of a rape in 1983. When she was 14 years old, the Marina girl was out for a jog when a man grabbed her, choked her, brought her into the bushes and raped her. The man then drove her to Seaside where he raped her again. Holifield was convicted of that rape. She said she spoke to him about religion and forgiveness and suggested that he talk to a social worker. They went there, and that was where police were called and he admitted to raping her.
Former Pacific Grove Police Chief Carl Miller, who was a detective in Pacific Grove at the time, spoke about his interview with Holifield the night he admitted to raping the girl.
A Monterey County Deputy who arrested Holifield in 1997 after a domestic dispute with a woman who had a restraining order against him was the sixth witness.
The seventh witness was the man who found Christina's dog in June 1998. He was an Army Sergeant living in Fort Ord. He was out walking his dog one night and found another dog that still had a leash on. The next day, he saw on the news that Christina was missing after walking a dog and gave a statement to police.
The eighth witness was a Presidio of Monterey Patrolling Officer who responded to the missing person report.
The prosecution will not seek the death penalty, according to the DA's Office. The decision is in exchange for his agreement to waive his right to a jury trial and his rights to state and federal writs and appeals.
