GARY A. DURRANCE has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal 1999 murder in Sanford of his longtime girlfriend, 50-year-old Sherry Holtz. The sentence imposed June 19 closed a case that went cold for 24 years before the Sanford Police Department had crime-scene evidence re-tested with current technology.
A Seminole County jury convicted Durrance, 75, of second-degree murder on June 10 based on DNA tests and other evidence presented by prosecutors Domenick Leo, Richard Babcock, Jacob Polk, and Louis Torretta. After a three-day trial, jurors deliberated for just eight minutes before finding him guilty.
Said Assistant State Attorney Leo after the sentencing: “Justice for Sherry Holtz and her family was finally achieved after two decades only because of the dedication of detectives and crime scene personal at Sanford Police Department, advances in DNA testing at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and a collaborative effort by many prosecutors at the State Attorney’s Office who helped build the strongest case possible. It is my sincere hope that this will offer a sense of closure to her family after all these years.”
On December 4, 1999, a person collecting aluminum cans discovered Holtz’s body in a wooded area off South Orlando Drive in Sanford. Holtz suffered a severed neck, blunt-force head trauma, strangulation, and sexual battery.
A bloodied lock-blade knife was recovered at the scene. However, forensic limitations in 2000 prevented the state laboratory from extracting a profile from the small DNA samples.
Durrance was an initial suspect based on his history of domestic violence incidents with Holtz and roommates who said he had violently thrown Holtz out of their shared home two days earlier. But a lack of conclusive physical evidence stalled the investigation.
The breakthrough arrived in May 2023 when the Sanford Police Department’s cold case detectives resubmitted the preserved knife to the FDLE for advanced DNA testing. FDLE scientists successfully matched the primary blood sample to Holtz and discovered secondary DNA matching Durrance on the knife.
Armed with the genetic match and new witness statements, detectives secured an arrest warrant for Durrance in July 2024. Durrance, who most recently was homeless and living in Orange City, ultimately confessed to his involvement in the murder.
“Cold cases present obstacles: Evidence deteriorates, witness memories fade, and certain voices become absent,” Assistant State Attorney Babcock said. “It is important to embrace the challenge and work together in pursuit of justice. Whether it’s a case from 2026, or from a time long ago, the goal remains the same. Finish the story.”
At the June 19 sentencing hearing, Holtz’s only child, Eric Holtz, addressed his mother’s killer in a victim-impact statement.
“Throughout the years afterward, you walked the earth as a free man while I walked with the recurring, terrorizing thoughts of who could have done such a thing to my mother and why,” Holtz said. “While in prison, it is my sincere desire and prayer that you call upon Jesus Christ to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins.”