Wanda Holloway: Texas Cheerleader Murder Mom
Wanda Holloway was obsessed with getting her daughter on the cheerleading squad—by any means necessary.
Wanda Holloway: Early Years
Wanda Webb was born to be a prima donna. Despite meager beginnings and a repressive, conservative father, she dreamed of being somebody in her small Texas town. Wanda was determined to one day be a person of wealth and power.
Getting pregnant at the age of 16 brought those plans to a complete halt. Wanda wed the baby’s father, Tony Harper, in a shotgun ceremony. Soon thereafter, the couple welcomed their first child, Shane Harper, into the world, followed within a couple of years by a little sister, Shanna Harper.
Almost inevitably in many teenage marriages, the couple divorced amid allegations of excessive drinking, physical abuse, and infidelity. Wanda retained custody of the children.
Wanda Holloway
YouTube
Wanda's Plans for Shanna
Divorce provided Wanda with a new opportunity to marry a rich man, a mission that was accomplished when she wed C.D. Holloway, a wealthy oil-field owner 20 years her senior. She now had the financial means to achieve the goals she'd put in place for Shanna.
Having custody of her kids allowed Wanda to mold and shape her daughter to be the type of girl she had always dreamed of being herself. While older brother Shane often lived in the shadows, Shanna was provided with everything necessary to make her who her mother wanted her to be. She had the finest clothes, dance lessons, and hosted huge parties—designed by Mom, of course, to gain Shanna popularity with her peers.
In 1991, Shanna was attending junior high in Channelview, Texas, and eligible to try out for cheerleading. Football is obviously a big deal in Texas, and to be a football cheerleader is as close to being a hometown sports hero as a gal can get. Wanda desperately wanted her daughter to be one of those girls. It was her chance to be someone, even if it was a dream come true that could only be realized vicariously through her daughter.
Wanda had groomed Shanna for just this sort of opportunity and felt certain she would be chosen for the squad. To add extra assurance, however, Wanda spent hours volunteering at the school to gain favor with staff and students.
It would all be for nothing.
Amber Heath with her mother Verna, following the trial of Wanda Holloway
Associated Press
Cheerleaders were chosen by student vote. Although Amber Heath, Shanna’s best friend, was elected to the squad, Shanna was not. Wanda was infuriated and ranted to anyone who would listen about the injustices of her daughter not being chosen for a spot on the cheer squad.
Wanda always had a jealous streak, but this was darker. An indescribable evil would be born of this uncontrolled emotion.
Mama Has a Plan
Despite having been divorced many years, Wanda still maintained contact with ex-husband Tony’s family and she went in search of his brother.
Terry Harper had a reputation for being an excessive drinker who often physically fought with his wives and girlfriends. More than once Terry had been a guest of the local jail but he had never been a murderer, so it’s a mystery why Wanda would turn to Terry to carry out her deadly plot.
One can assume that Wanda believed Terry, always in dire need of money, would be eager to earn a nice fee and get himself out of debt.
Whatever her reason may have been, Wanda approached Terry with a plan to kill Verna Heath, Amber’s mother. Wanda believe if Verna was murdered, Amber would be too devastated to continue with cheerleading, thus creating a vacant spot on the squad and Shanna would waltz right in.
The Texas Cheerleader Murder Mom
What Wanda didn’t count on is Terry, while he might enjoy hitting the bottle, was no killer and his conscience sent him straight to local authorities.
After several recorded meetings, Wanda made headlines across the nation when she was arrested for on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. She soon became known as "The Texas Cheerleader Murder Mom."
The video below is an episode of The Evidence Room, a true crime docuseries from KPRC in Houston. It's a deep dive into the case, including the audio recordings between Wanda and Terry.
Bars Not Bleachers
Following a trial in late 1991, Wanda Holloway was convicted on charges of solicitation of capital murder and was sentenced to 15 years. An appeal, however, would overturn Wanda's conviction on a technicality—a juror had failed to disclose the fact he was on probation at voir dire.
Instead of taking a chance with a second trial, Wanda pleaded no contest and a judge sentenced her to 10 years. She served only six months of the 10-year term before being released on probation on March 1, 1997. She was also ordered to complete 1,000 hours of community service.
Where Are They Now?
Wanda maintains a very low profile these days. There is some evidence to indicate she is still in Texas but nothing can be verified due to a lack of current online information about her.
Wanda's daughter Shanna (now Shanna Widner) was interviewed by People Magazine and Good Morning America in 2012 in her first public statements about the incident. At that time, she was a teacher and confirmed that her mother was a part of her life, as well as a grandmother to her two sons, but Shanna also admitted that her parenting style is different than her mother's: "Obviously I veer away from being a stage mom. I think I've learned that lesson." In 2023, Shanna was active on social media.
While Wanda was in jail, C.D. Holloway quietly divorced her. Although most assume it had to do with Wanda’s criminal actions, the reasons have never been publicly stated. Before his death in 2006, C.D. had remarried and had a son, according to his obituary.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Verna Heath is an "Experienced Executive Director skilled in Event Planning, Customer Service, Coaching, Sales, and Strategic Planning." It appears she continues to live in Channelview, Texas.
A social media account current in 2023 for someone who appears to be Amber Heath reflects a normal suburban mom living in Texas. Worth mentioning is the young girl also pictured in the social media account—presumably her daughter—is a cheerleader.
HBO Black Comedy
In 1993, HBO produced a dark comedy version of the Wanda Webb Holloway story called The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom. Holly Hunter starred as "Wendy" and Beau Bridges as her ex-husband "Terry" Harper.
You can watch a thorough review of the movie below.
Sources
© 2016 Kim Bryan
