(L.A.) Scott Hollingshead, 34, Died in Prison

Case Number: 2024-00005

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 34-year-old White/Caucasian male that occurred while incarcerated.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Scott Hollingshead, born in Nevada County, California. He was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Effects of Fentanyl, Fluorofentanyl, Heroin and Methamphetamine

RIP SCOTT THOMAS HOLLINGSHEAD (October 18, 1989 – January 1, 2024)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Monday at 12:49 a.m.

The Department of Medical Examiner publicly disclosed the CoD ruling on March 7, presumably after the results of tox screening had come back positive for the drugs.

The decedent was one of two brothers found guilty in the murder of Brian Spalding in Nevada County, California.

Hollingshead and his younger brother Christopher Nix, ages 23 and 20 at the time, were alleged to have been waiting for Spalding at his Banner Mountain residence on the night of April 14, 2014. They were said to have shot Spalding before dragging him from the car and kicking him repeatedly; he died at the scene of blun t f orce trauma to the head.

Defendants Christopher Michael Nix and Scott Thomas Hollingshead ambushed victim Brian Spalding in Spalding’s driveway late at night when Spalding arrived home from his weekly poker game. Defendants shot and stomped on Spalding until he was dead. Convicted of first degree murder with a lying-in-wait special circumstance and shooting at an occupied vehicle, along with true findings on enhancement allegations, the trial court sentenced Hollingshead to an aggregate term of life without the possibility of parole plus 25 years to life, and it sentenced Nix to an aggregate term of life without the possibility of parole plus one year.

In November 2013, Hollingshead’s wife Jessicca got drunk and spent the night with Spalding. Looking for her, Hollingshead called the last phone number Jessicca had called and got Spalding’s voicemail. Hollingshead found Spalding’s address and drove there, honking his horn and calling Jessicca’s name, but no one responded. The next day Hollingshead asked Jessicca about Spalding, and she admitted spending the night with him.

Hollingshead sent the following text message to Spalding: “Brian, this is jessicca’s husband. What kind of piece of shit are you? What kind of man takes a drunk married woman half his age to a fucking motel room… Twice even. You don’t know her or anything about either of us you homewrecking fuck. You need to stay away from my fucking wife, dont call her, lose her number and forget you ever met her. You will not come between us and you are a stupid motherfucker if you think you are. I have fought for her for almost half my life and some old fat fuck will not damage that. Do the smart thing and find someone else to take advantage of, but do not come near my fucking wife again you dickless fucking coward. Do not call her, dont even fucking think about her. She is mine and you do not know her anymore. I wish you misery you fucking piece of shit, do yourself a favor and find a nice place to lay down and die. Feel free to call me man to man if ever your little balls ever drop.”

A few months later, Hollingshead texted Jessicca saying he would kill anyone who came between them. He also texted his cousin, suggesting that his cousin had a relationship with Jessicca. Hollingshead testified at trial that he worked long hours and had no way of knowing what Jessicca was doing. The following month he sent texts to Jessicca such as “How’s about you remember your vows all of which you have stomped on”; “How about you think everything that I have done for you, for us and how you are continuously shitting on our marriage and throwing everything away“; and “Eight years you are okay wasting for a drunken night.”

Spalding regularly played Monday-night poker with friends at a home near Hollingshead’s home. Typically, they played until about 11 p.m. On Monday, April 14, 2014, they played until about 10:45 p.m. That same day, Hollingshead and Jessicca argued about her drinking, and she pushed him.

Around 11 p.m., Spalding drove into the driveway of his home where he lived with his mother Angeline. Angeline heard “tapping” and then a horn honking in the driveway. She looked out the window and saw two people attacking Spalding, who was still seated in his car. The attackers wore dark clothing, hooded sweatshirts, and white gloves. One attacker was on the driver’s side of the car and the other on the passenger side. They were punching Spalding and trying to drag him out of the car. The driver’s side door was open and Spalding was kicking at an attacker. Spalding yelled for Angeline to call the police.

Angeline called 911 and went out to the porch. She flicked the light on and off and yelled at the attackers to stop. At that point Spalding was lying faceup on the driveway with his feet still in the car, and an attacker was repeatedly kicking Spalding in the face. Angeline yelled that the police were coming and the attackers ran away.

Spalding was deceased when a deputy sheriff and first responders arrived. He lay in a large pool of blood and brain matter around his head. There were shell casings and pieces of latex glove in the driveway. An autopsy revealed Spalding died from blu nt f orce trauma to the head. His face was caved in. Spalding had been shot six times in the torso, right arm, and left hand, but the bullets missed major organs and did not produce significant bleeding. The gunshots were significant injuries but did not contribute to the cause of death.

Investigating officers went to Hollingshead’s home and Jessicca let them in. Hollingshead had a large bandage on his left thumb and numerous abrasions on his forehead and cheeks. A search of Hollingshead’s home revealed recently washed items in the washing machine, including towels, two pairs of men’s underwear, two pairs of men’s pants, and two dark hooded sweatshirts.

Investigators also went to Nix’s home and saw a Chevy Prism parked in the driveway with blood stains inside and outside the car and a trail of blood drops from the car to the front door of the home.

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-nix-116