Son wins legal battle to be divorced from father

PATRICK HOLLAND was sound asleep in bed when his father, Daniel, burst into the next room and shot his mother eight times.

He then clubbed her around the head with a rifle butt and fled, leaving the eight-year-old to discover her body the next morning.

Now after six years, Patrick has won a legal battle to be “divorced” from his father.

Mr Holland had been scheduled to appear in a Massachusetts court yesterday where his parental rights were to be determined.

Instead, he agreed to a settlement waiving any right to be part of Patrick’s life, said Ron Lazisky, the boy’s permanent legal guardian.

Patrick, now 14, had publicised his determination to terminate his father’s parental rights, saying Holland forfeited the role of a parent the night he shot Liz Holland in their home in Massachusetts, in October 1998.

Mr Holland, who had a barring order against him, broke into the family home, chased his wife up the stairs, shot her eight times and then clubbed her around the head with the rifle butt.

Mr Lazisky said any of the bullets could have gone through the wall and killed his sleeping son.

“He knew his son was going to find his dirty work in the morning,” said Mr Lazisky. “That is not being a parent. That is abuse of the worst kind.”

Holland is serving life in prison without parole for first-degree murder. “He’s not my father. Ron is my dad,” Patrick said. “If he wanted to have a relationship with me, he should have thought of that before he killed her.”

Lazisky has said he and his wife, Rita, who was Liz Holland’s best friend, want to adopt Patrick. After Liz Holland’s death, the Laziskys and grandparents on both sides sought custody of Patrick. The Laziskys eventually got custody in a settlement with Daniel Holland’s parents, but they agreed not to try to adopt Patrick until 2005, when Patrick would be old enough to have a major say. Because there was no adoption, Holland’s parental rights were never terminated.

Three years ago Patrick was set to visit his father in prison (he wanted to confront him over his mother’s killing) - but it was cancelled when Holland’s lawyer insisted on sitting in on the visit.

“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Mr Lazisky.