The family of a grandmother who was killed in her Las Colinas home by her cable man is suing the company in a Dallas civil court.
In December 2019, 83-year old Betty Thomas was stabbed to death by Roy Holden Jr., who was employed as a cable technician for Spectrum at the time.
He performed scheduled connectivity work at Thomas’ home the day before but according to police, returned the next day in his uniform, unscheduled and unannounced – claiming that the work needed to be finished.
According to the police report, Holden was not on the clock but was driving the company van. Police say after Holden killed her, he used her debit card hours after her murder.
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Holden pled guilty to first-degree murder charges and was sentenced to life in prison in April 2021.
Now, the family's attorney alleges Charter Communications, which operates as Spectrum, should be held liable for Thomas' death. According to the public court documents obtained by NBC 5, the lawsuit claims the company misled and obstructed investigators and destroyed evidence. The family is also suing Holden.
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The family’s lawyer also claims the company did not do background checks on employees and had known of prior complaints against Holden in the months leading up to the murder.
In a statement to NBC 5, a Charter spokesperson denied those allegations:
"Mrs. Thomas was the victim of a tragic crime, and we are grateful that justice has been served, with the perpetrator in jail for life. Charter is committed to customer safety. The pre-employment criminal background check of the perpetrator showed no arrests, convictions or other crimes, nor did anything in his work performance suggest he was capable of the crime he committed."
The civil trial is expected to begin in Dallas on Monday, June 6.
