2 suspects sought in connection with Alabama killing arrested in South Florida

Young girl leads police to bodies of grandparents in Birmingham

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Two people sought in connection with a killing in Alabama were arrested Friday in South Florida.

Kristen Gullion, 30, was arrested Friday morning in Miami Beach. A man, identified as Zachary Phillips, 23, was arrested Friday afternoon in Hollywood.

According to Hollywood police spokeswoman Miranda Grossman, a Ford Mustang convertible that Phillips was a passenger in had been reported stolen in Miami Beach.

Grossman said the car crashed in the area of Dixie Highway and Roosevelt Street while fleeing from police.

The driver, Vivian De La Rosa Toniana, was taken into custody immediately after the crash. 

Grossman said Phillips, who was believed to be armed, ran away after the crash, but was found hiding in a nearby yard. 

According to an arrest report, Gullion was stopped by a Miami Beach police officer Friday morning after she was seen inside a gray 2012 Honda Civic with North Carolina tags that was parked illegally in a roundabout.

Police said a computer check on the tag revealed that the car had been reported stolen to the Birmingham Police Department.

According to news outlets in Alabama, the Civic belonged to Mary Holt, 67, and Joe "Steve" Holt, 68, who were found murdered inside their home the same day that their car was taken.

Al.com reported that the Holts' bodies were found the afternoon of Aug. 2 after someone notified police that there was a young girl with blood-stained clothes wandering the street alone.

Police said the child went to a neighbor's home and was crying out for her grandparents.

The neighbor called 911 and when authorities arrived, the child led them to the bodies of her grandparents, police said.

Authorities said the girl was not physically injured, despite the blood on her clothes. 

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the Holts' family during this difficult time.
 


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.