Johns Creek domestic dispute leaves couple dead, children escape unharmed

Gunfire erupted on North Hillbrooke Trace after a 911 call from inside a Johns Creek home, leaving two parents dead and three boys outside in safety. Johns Creek police identified the dead as Martha Holladay, 43, and Richard Holladay, 52. One of their sons called for help after a verbal argument escalated in the house. Officers reached the 5300 block of North Hillbrooke Trace around 11:26 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday, June 8, and found the couple’s sons, ages 17, 13 and 12, already outside and not physically injured.

Investigators said Richard Holladay shot Martha Holladay and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police had never previously responded to a call at the home and are treating the case as an isolated domestic-related incident with no ongoing threat to the public.

Neighbors, friends and community groups have begun fundraising efforts to help the boys with immediate needs. There is discussion of creating a charitable foundation to support them in the weeks and months ahead. The Greater North Fulton Chamber called Martha Holladay a woman of faith, positivity and service.

Georgia recorded 42,184 family-violence incidents in 2024, up 12% from 2023, and nearly a third involved a child present, according to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence. Its 2025 fact sheet listed 113 domestic-violence fatalities in 2024, including 42 fatal murder-suicide incidents, and more than 80% growth in domestic-violence-related murder-suicide incidents over the 2020-2024 overview period.