The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld a 50-year federal prison sentence for Louis Holloway, 44, who was convicted in connection with the attempted robbery and fatal shooting of John Stambaugh in Memphis in 2002. The announcement was made by Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
On September 8, 2002, University of Memphis student John Stambaugh was killed by a shotgun blast while delivering pizza in the Cooper-Young neighborhood. Holloway was identified as a suspect and charged with attempted robbery and firearms offenses.
In 2008, following a jury trial, Holloway was found guilty on charges including attempted robbery, discharging a firearm during an attempted robbery, and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He originally received a life sentence.
After legal changes that took effect in 2022, Holloway’s life sentence was vacated and he appeared before United States District Judge Samuel H. Mays for resentencing. Judge Mays imposed the statutory maximum sentence allowed under current law: 50 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The appellate court affirmed this sentence. According to the ruling, “it was reasonable considering the horrific nature of the offense and Holloway’s very serious criminal history.”
The Memphis Police Department conducted the investigation into this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Tony Arvin prosecuted at both trial and post-conviction stages. AUSA Naya Bedini handled post-conviction proceedings and represented the government on appeal.
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