The fourth suspect arrested for the murder of Israeli citizen Efraim Gordon was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and related firearms offenses on Thursday, July 25.
Gordon, 31, was visiting Baltimore to attend a family wedding when he was shot to death in May 2021 in an attempted carjacking in front of his aunt and uncle’s home in Park Heights in Baltimore City.
William Holloman, now 19, was 16 years old at the time of Gordon’s murder. Holloman will be sentenced on Dec. 2 and faces the possibility of life in prison.
Reached by phone, Roya Hanna, Holloman’s attorney, said that she had no comment regarding the verdict.
Rabbi Dovid Reyder — who leads Chabad of Catonsville and University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and who is a cousin of Gordon’s — shared that three suspects were initially arrested. All three pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and are awaiting sentencing. During the investigation into Gordon’s death in 2021, the fourth suspect was identified with the cooperation of the other defendants.
Reyder attended all three days of Hollomon’s trial. The trial started on Monday, July 22, continued through Tuesday, with jury deliberations taking place from Wednesday through Thursday afternoon. The jury returned with a guilty verdict after a full day of deliberations.
In addition to Reyder, six other family members and approximately 60 friends and community members attended the trial. Reyder said that even the prosecutor stated that he had never seen so much support for a murder victim.
“The community support was overwhelming,” Reyder said. ”That people took off from work for three days to be here with us is remarkable.” Reyder added that it was important for him to be present because Gordon was his cousin, and a dear friend.
“I miss him every day,” Reyder said. “And I love him, and because he cannot be here, it was critically important to show my support for him, as well as my support for justice for the individuals who took his life.”
The trial was difficult for Reyder and family members in attendance, as they relived the entire episode again through the video footage, body cam footage and footage of the last moments of his life, including the moment his family gave him CPR.
“We had to relive this horrific, horrific murder,” Reyder said.
Reyder said the pain and loss of Gordon is always there.
“I can only speak for myself, the pain of the loss is always there, and we cannot bring Efraim back,” he said. “The least we were hoping for is that no further violence is committed. There will be an unseen benefit to this tragic event — sending the message that people are watching, and perhaps someone thinking of doing a crime may think twice about it because they will be caught, and they will get a life sentence.”
Reyder emphasized that for him, the point was not revenge, but bringing justice to the life of a young man who was kind and full of love. “It is important for us that justice be served,” Reyder said. “He was a young man, he had aspirations, he had dreams, he was life itself. We live in a country of laws and justice, and there must be consequences. This is not about revenge but about accountability for the individual.
“Efraim was a kind, loving person. I was by his gravesite in Israel, and he has had many visitors. This is about making sure that individuals stay away from hurting others through violent crime. This is a very delicate conversation, but the verdict on Thursday provides a bit of closure — that justice has been done for Efraim,” Reyder added.
People came to the trial, Reyder said, because they really want to see safer streets, and fewer carjackings.
“I would like to thank the community for showing that they will not stand for crime, that so many people came out, taking days off work to be there,” he said. “And I am hopeful that this will make a difference for others. Efraim was telling the barber who gave him his last haircut how wonderful Baltimore is — and we are hopeful that one day Baltimore will be the way Efraim described it, for everyone.”
