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Why Was He Free? Warrenville Killer Has Long, Violent History!

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New Tequan HolmesThe suspect charged with gunning down a Warrenville man during an argument Saturday night is a convicted felon with a long list of violent crimes, gun charges and drug offenses.

Tequan Martrell Holmes, 26, of Aiken, was charged Sunday with murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Tiquan L. Oakman of Warrenville.

Authorities say Holmes shot the victim about 10 p.m. Saturday at Boucher Court in Warrenville.

OakmanOakman (pictured at right) had “become involved in an argument with several other men, when one of the men pulled a weapon and shot Mr. Oakman,” Coroner Tim Carlton said in a press release. “Oakman died at the scene.”

Authorities identified Holmes as the suspect and released his name and picture to the media Sunday. About 2 p.m., deputies responded with Aiken police to an address on Hamilton Drive and captured the suspect and took him to jail.

Tequan Holmes suspectHolmes is no stranger to law enforcement and has spent time in the Aiken County Jail and prison many times from the day he became an adult. It may surprise some that he wasn’t currently in prison for his past crimes, which are lengthy:

  • In September 2008, Holmes was a teenager when he was arrested for common law robbery and grand larceny. He got out on bond.
  • In July 2009, while still awaiting trial on the robbery charges, Holmes was accused of a new robbery, this time while armed with a weapon. He was arrested and charged with armed robbery, pointing and presenting a firearm and weapon possession.
  • But six months later, Solicitor Strom Thurmond Jr. dismissed all three 2009 violent crimes and let him plead guilty to the lesser crimes and be sentenced to six years under the Youthful Offender Act.
  • In March 2012, Holmes was now an adult but had not grown up. He was arrested for shoplifting and driving under suspension. He was freed on bond before trial.
  •  A month later, in April 2012, cops saw Holmes driving again and tried to pull him over, but the suspect didn’t want to stop. Once they caught him, officers found the convicted felon with a gun and marijuana, according to online records. But he soon went free.
  • In May 2012, he was charged with intimidation of a witness.  Finally, the court denied him bond. But in July, a judge looked at all of his crimes in 2012 and sentenced the felon to just three years in prison with credit for time served.
  • Holmes didn’t stay in prison for three years, though. Criminal records show he was free again in September 2014 when he was arrested again, this time for malicious injury to personal property. After three weeks in jail, a judge gave him credit for time served and let him go free.
  • By the summer of July 2015, Holmes was charged again with two counts of malicious injury to personal property. A judge gave him 30 days in jail for those repeat offenses.
  • Just a month later, Holmes continued carry around a weapon illegally since he was a felon. This time, the gun possession came during a burglary, which a judge gave him 247 days in jail for.
  • It’s not clear when Holmes was released from prison, but he wasn’t free long before he was carrying again and connected to this week’s murder, authorities say.

Editor’s Note: If you have a better photo of the victim or a memory of him to share, text it to 803-487-3224 or email it to publisher@thejailreport.com

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Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Press and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel.
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