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On 11th September 2016, April and her ex-husband, Michel Holton, were murdered in Michael’s house. The murder could not be explained by any means, and almost a decade later, the case remains unsolved. Dateline, Season 27, Episode 29, titled "11 Minutes," aired on 19th April 2019, to report on the case and bring awareness to it. On 17th May 2025, Dateline revisited the case for Dateline Weekend Mystery.
April and Michael Holton met and fell in love with each other in Eclectic, Alabama, while in school. They got married soon after graduation and raised three sons, Madison, Hayden, and Kyle. April was a stay-at-home mother while Michael worked in public service and later became the mayor. Despite being high-school sweethearts, their marriage began to fall apart, and by the summer of 2016, April had filed for divorce.
Although the divorce was hard, the couple were civil with each other, stayed in contact, and co-parented their three sons. But things began to take a turn when their oldest son, Madison, started to act out. He would hang with the wrong crowd, leading to him throwing a party while his parents were not home, and finally causing the tragic incident on 11th September 2016.
Complete timeline of the Dateline, "11 Minutes" case
A] 11th September 2016 – Morning
1) As Dateline reported, Michael had found out that his eldest son, Madison, had hosted a party at his home while he was away.
2) Upset, he called April to come over and help handle the situation. Michael also called the sheriff’s department for advice on how to handle Madison’s deteriorating behaviour. When the deputy arrived, Michael had already handcuffed Madison as a way to discipline him.
3) The officer left the house at 9:48 a.m., unaware of the events that would follow.
B] 11th September 2016 – 9:59 AM
4) This Dateline episode gets its title from what happens next. Just eleven minutes after the deputy left, a neighbor called 911 after hearing gunshots.
5) Madison had run to their house, asking for help, saying that his parents were fighting.
6) When deputies returned, they found Michael dead from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. April was still alive but gravely injured with gunshot wounds to her head and arm.
7) April was rushed to the hospital but passed away the next morning.
C] Days following the murders: Investigation
8) Authorities quickly started piecing together what had happened. As Dateline reported, April had defensive wounds on her arms, and Michael’s injury was not consistent with suicide.
9) Madison, who was the only other person at the house, became the main suspect. Investigators believed he may have snapped after hearing his parents talk about presenting him in juvenile court.
10) Madison insisted he was innocent. According to what Madison told officers, Michael had called April into the bedroom, and then Madison had heard her scream for help minutes later.
11) He insisted that he ran to the neighbor’s house and never heard any gunshots. 12) The police proved him wrong regarding not being able to hear gunshots by doing a test in the area.
13) Besides, Madison’s concern was more about school, his social life, and reputation rather than his parents’ death, which raised suspicions as well.
14) Within a week, Madison was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
D] Jail Time – Late 2016 to 2017
15) Madison, just seventeen at the time, spent fifteen months in jail, with his bond being set at a million dollars.
16) After 15 months behind bars, Madison was released when his uncle Chris Owenby and his wife posted bail.
E] Evidence and Doubts:
17) As time passed, it seemed less and less likely that Madison was guilty. There was no blood, no fingerprints, and no gun residue on him.
18) Investigators initially assumed he could have escaped from the handcuffs, committed the murders, and then returned to the cuffs. However, that idea seemed unlikely.
19) April had Michael’s DNA under her fingernails, and he had scratches on his body.
19) Dateline also revealed that Michael had drugs in his system and had written about suicidal thoughts in his diary after the divorce.
F] Trial and Dismissal – October 22, 2018
20) According to Dateline, two years after the deaths, Madison’s murder trial began on 22nd October 2022.
21) However, prosecutors had to admit they did not have enough proof to convict him.
22) The charges were dropped, though the case was dismissed, and Madison walked free.
23) Once the charges were dropped, Madison focused on piecing his life back together. He also hoped to reconnect with his younger brothers when they were ready.
24) But the case remains unresolved, and Dateline helped bring attention to the case.
G] Where is Madison Holton now? 2019 to present day
25) After the charges were dropped, Madison worked to rebuild his life. He finished school, planned to study history and law, and even joined the Army to help fund his education.
26) In 2020, he married his partner, Diana, and they welcomed a son two years later. The couple now lives in Wetumpka, Alabama, focused on their family and healing from Madison's tragic past.
Although the case of April and Michael Holton still remains unsolved, Dateline has made sure their story is not forgotten. For now, Madison continues to move forward, hoping for peace and answers in the years ahead.
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You can stream all the released episodes of Dateline on Peacock. New Dateline episodes come out on Fridays on NBC at 10 pm ET. Dateline: 11 Minutes was revisited on 17th May 2025 at 9 pm ET and can be streamed on Peacock now.
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