Back in 1986, Patricia Ruth Holt, a then-18-year-old, was charged with attempted murder after threatening to kill her teacher. Almost 40 years later, Holt, now 57, is accused of killing her boss, whom she allegedly shot in the head.
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As reported by The Daily Freeman, the teacher-related incident occurred back on September 25, 1986. At the time, Holt brought a 12-gauge shotgun to her school. She intended to shoot her teacher after she had been disciplined for “behavioral problems.”
However, the teacher was not in school at the time, and Holt was tackled and disarmed when she tried to enter the teacher’s lounge. She was charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, criminal trespass, and misdemeanor possession of a weapon.
However, she ended up pleading guilty to just attempted assault. She was sentenced to five years’ probation, given her age.
Charged With Murder, Decades Later
Almost 40 years later, Hold started working for a Texas trucking company in June 2025. However, according to her boss’s widow, she was trouble from the get-go. In her first week on the job, Holt’s boss, Carl Joseph Donaldson, had to remind her of basic driving rules and was instructed not to exceed the speed limit.
“She just went off,” the widow told The Daily Freeman. “He kept calm, but she just kept screaming that she’s been driving a f–ing truck for 30 years. She stormed out of the office, slammed the door and you could still hear her yelling and screaming outside. She just couldn’t stand being told what to do.”
On July 24, 2025, however, things got fatal. Early in the day, Holt got into an argument with a customer, as per the widow. Then, reportedly, she became more enraged after Donaldson told her to apologize to the customer. Additionally, she was told to finish to job or empty the truck and leave it in Waco.
Violent Shooting, Standoff
Holt, however, allegedly returned to her workplace and, with a tractor-trailer, attempted to run over Donaldson. To defuse the situation, the 47-year-old man got into the vehicle’s passenger seat. However, his efforts were not successful.
“At that time, I had my back turned and I heard a pop,” Donaldson’s widow said. “I turned around and looked and I see my husband flying through the air and falling on the ground.”
Allegedly, Holt had shot Donaldson in the head, and his wife called 911.
Police responded to a shooting call at around 5:33 p.m., as per The Dallas Morning News. After arriving at the Fulghum Road, an hours-long standoff ensued after a brief, slow-speed chase. Allegedly, Holt threatened to kill people filming her when she also called 911, according to an affidavit obtained by the outlet.
After negotiations, Patricia Ruth Holt surrendered at 8:55 p.m. She was transported and booked into the Dallas County Jail. She was charged with one count of first-degree murder.