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BLUFFDALE — New court documents show that a landscaper accused of shooting a former client fled to California to hide before turning himself in.
Ryan Nolan Holladay, 36, of Riverton, is charged in 3rd District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony; discharge of a firearm and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, second-degree felonies; and three counts of discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.
On May 12, Holladay went to a home in Bluffdale where he was contracted to do work for the homeowner but had recently been fired, according to investigators. Holladay confronted the 34-year-old homeowner and shot at him multiple times, charging documents state.
"One of the shots hit (the homeowner) in the arm, and another grazed his rib. There was six shots fired. Two hit (the homeowner). He said Ryan was about 8 to 6 feet away from him while he was shooting and he is 100% sure Ryan was there to kill him," according to a search warrant affidavit.
The homeowner wrapped a belt around his arm and his wife drove him to a nearby fire station where he was then transported to the hospital, the warrant states.
Investigators later found Holladay's phone inside his abandoned pickup truck near the Salt Lake City International Airport.
But Holladay remained missing until June 20 when police received a call from Holladay's lawyer saying his client wanted to turn himself in.
Prior to that, the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team "found out Ryan was hiding in South California along the coast," the affidavit states. On June 18, an officer from the Santa Rosa Police Department contacted Utah authorities to report a vehicle that had been purchased by Holladay was found in their jurisdiction.
"The vehicle he left in California was towed to the Santa Rosa PD evidence yard," according to the warrant that was seeking to search for evidence in the vehicle.
Holladay was also charged in May for an incident that allegedly happened just prior to shooting the homeowner. He was charged with aggravated assault and four counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, all third-degree felonies; criminal mischief and unlawful detention, both class A misdemeanors.
That alleged incident happened sometime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on May 12, between 30 minutes and 3 ½ hours before the shooting, according to police.
In that case, Holladay invited his estranged wife to his house allegedly to give her a Mother's Day gift, according to charging documents. But once there, Holladay threw the woman into a closet, pulled her hair and punched a hole in the wall, according to charging documents.
Holladay is also facing a charge of stalking, a third-degree felony, in a third case filed on May 13. In that case, Holladay is accused of tracking his estranged wife to a hotel on April 5 using an undisclosed app, according to charging documents, and then booking a room in the same hotel, renting a car and purchasing cameras to record his estranged wife, believing they would help him during his pending divorce hearing.
