IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — The family of Sheryl Turner is once again speaking out, more than a year after her dismembered body was discovered in the Ouachita River. Now, they are facing another emotional blow: The man accused of her murder has been committed to a state mental health facility, delaying the trial.
On Aug. 21, Holland was deemed unable to understand the legal proceedings against him. The court ordered him to be put on psychiatric hold ahead of trial at the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health Systems, until he can understand the court proceedings
You can read our initial story about that here.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” said Sheryl’s father, Michael Turner. “I keep sitting there thinking that this is just a mistake—that one day my daughter’s going to knock on the door and say, ‘Daddy, here I am.’ But I know that’ll never happen.”
Turner’s family has spent over a year fighting for justice after 19-year-old Sheryl left New Iberia on Dec. 31, 2023, following an argument at home. She traveled to West Monroe with a man she had met online.
That man, identified as 29-year-old Anthony Pierce Holland Jr., allegedly raped and strangled her before dismembering her body and disposing of the remains in the Ouachita River. Her torso was recovered on Jan. 24, 2024. DNA testing later from her twin sister, Sherry, confirmed the remains were hers.
“This isn’t just gun violence, this is slaughter," Sherry said. "This is something you only see in a movie.”
Authorities in Catahoula and Ouachita Parishes said Holland confessed to the killing last April, and has remained in custody with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office while awaiting trial—but last week, news broke about court documents showing he was committed.
According to the Turners, this was not immediately disclosed to them.
“Mind you, nobody called us. Nobody told us anything. Nobody even informed us about him being in that mental hospital,” Sherry Turner said.
Michael Turner expressed frustration over the continued delays.
“Anthony is not locked up right now,” he said. “He’s in a mental institution.”
For the Turner family, the absence of justice is made more painful by the brutal nature of the crime.
“We don’t have her legs. We don’t have her arms. We don’t have… no body parts. This is all we have left,” said Sherry.
Still, in the face of unimaginable grief, the family is holding on to hope and building a future. Michael Turner recently welcomed a baby boy, Jacari Joseph Turner.
“He’s almost two months old—he is my backbone,” he said.
Sherry is also expecting twins—the family's third generation of twins—a journey that has brought her both joy and anxiety.
“This closure is what we need,” she said. “Having twins of my own, it kind of gives me PTSD a little bit, because I wouldn’t want this to happen to my twins.”
A judge is scheduled to re-evaluate Holland’s mental competency on Nov. 24, according to court records.
