MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Prosecutors say a Whitehaven man shot to death a 19-year-old woman he was trafficking for sex, then dumped her body in a ditch.
A grand jury Tuesday indicted Robert J. Holmes, 31, on felony counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, trafficking for commercial sex acts, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. He is being held in the Shelby County Jail.
Holmes was arrested June 23 after the body ofJareesa Porchia of Camden, Ark., was found in a ditch on Old Getwell Road just south of Knight Arnold Road, according to a release from Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich’s office.
Investigators said Holmes shot her in a van that evening and then disposed of her body.
They said that for several months Holmes had been collecting money from the victim after arranging encounters in which she performed sex acts for money.