SPOKANE, Wash. – The families of a man accused of murder and the woman he is accused of killing got into a scuffle after a contentious court hearing Thursday afternoon.
Nicholas Holden is accused of beating his girlfriend, Tina Stewart, to death Thanksgiving night in the 14000 block of North Meadow Lane.
Holden had an appearance at the Spokane County Courthouse on Thursday, when the two families got into a fight after exchanging words during the hearing. Security was called to break it up. No one appeared to be injured, and no charges stemmed from the incident.
Stewart's family had been there wearing shirts in her memory and calling for an end to domestic violence.
"If they know a loved one in a situation, help them out of it,” Don Estes, Stewart's uncle said. “Get them out of it. You know unfortunately, we couldn't save Tina.”
Newman Lake Fire Department personnel responded first to the scene on that Friday morning, according to court documents, and found the victim covered in bruises and other marks.
One of the emergency responders asked Holden if that was the victim's condition when he found her and he replied “We got into it last night. It was bad,” according to court documents.
Holden is scheduled for another court appearance on January 9. He is charged with second degree murder and his bail is set at $1 million.
