In my words
My name is Donyell Dewayne Holland. I am TDOC #248453, and I am at Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg, Tennessee. I am serving life plus fifty years for the death of Randall Leslie.
I have said from my first interview that I did not kill Randall. When my lawyers left, I kept going on my own. I wrote my own motions, my own appeal brief and my own filings, by hand, from a cell. This book is that fight, in order, with the papers to back it up.
Donyell Dewayne Holland
Before all of this: a businessman
I ran my own lawn service, Don Lawn Pro’s. My red truck carried the sign: “Don Lawn Pro’s · Offers Five Star Services · 100% Satisfaction · 423-508-7552.” That is the same Sprint number that shows up in my phone records in this case.
I learned the law inside a jail cell
I never went to law school. I taught myself law from a cell, a few hours a week of legal research at a time, and wrote my own motions, my own appeal brief and my own filings by hand. Every one of them is posted in this book.
The case numbers
- Hamilton County Criminal Court No. 311081: the first indictment, March 10, 2021. Dismissed January 15, 2025.
- Hamilton County Criminal Court No. 317210: the superseding indictment, April 10, 2024. This is the case I was tried and sentenced on.
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals No. E2024-01809-CCA-R3-CD: my direct appeal, pending.
Write to Donyell
Donyell Dewayne Holland · TDOC #248453
Morgan County Correctional Complex, Wartburg, Tennessee
Message him on GettingOut: download the free GettingOut app (or go to gettingout.com), make an account, pick Tennessee and Morgan County Correctional Complex, then search Donyell Holland or 248453.
Send a letter: Morgan County Correctional Complex · Donyell Holland #248453 · P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. That is the Tennessee prison system’s official mail address. Your letter is scanned and delivered to him.
In pictures
