Woman accused of Miami-Dade murder; cops say other woman pepper-sprayed dying victim

MDSO: Nehekia Holloway, 44, hid under Hello Kitty blanket to evade arrest

Nehekia Holloway (MDCR/WPLG)

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a woman they said was responsible for a deadly late-April shooting in the county’s unincorporated West Little River area. A second woman is accused of pepper-spraying the wounded victim as she lay dying.

Nehekia Nicole Holloway, 44, is accused of fatally shooting Saian Aquila Civil, 28, in the area of Northwest 22nd Avenue and 90th Street on the afternoon of April 29.

An MDSO arrest report states that Civil had been involved in a dispute with a woman identified by deputies as 30-year-old Dekia Best.

Authorities said both Holloway and Best drove to the eventual crime scene to re-confront Civil.

Just after 1:30 p.m., deputies said Holloway opened fire and shot Civil in the abdomen. After Civil “collapsed on the ground,” they said Best “proceeded to pepper-spray her.”

Deputies said they took Best into custody, but Holloway drove off in Best’s vehicle.

“Several bystanders” identified Holloway as the shooter, according to the report.

Authorities said video surveillance footage showed Holloway leaving her apartment at around 1:15 that afternoon wearing a gray hoodie. By 3:29 p.m., she had returned “disguised in (a) mechanic-like blue uniform and a yellow/black cap,” the report states.

Just before 10:35 that night, deputies said the video showed Holloway being “escorted out of the apartment by several individuals who acted as lookouts.”

Holloway, they said, concealed herself in a Hello Kitty blanket.

According to the report, detectives found Holloway on Friday and took her into custody. It states that she “admitted to traveling to (the) scene and confronting the victim, but denied shooting (her).”

Authorities said after being presented with evidence to the contrary, she invoked her right to remain silent. Detectives arrested her on a second-degree murder charge and a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

Records show that a Miami-Dade judge ordered Holloway held without bond and she was jailed at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Monday.

Meanwhile, Best faces a misdemeanor battery charge, according to court records. Those show that she was released from jail on a $1,000 bond on April 30, one day after her arrest, and is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Thursday.

Best’s booking photo was not immediately available as of early Monday evening.

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About The Author
Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.