DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Duluth man has been sentenced for the brutal attack of a 78-year-old man during a violent carjacking that left that victim fighting for his life in 2021.
Duluth carjacking sentence
What we know:
Warren Holt Jr. was sentenced on Monday to more than nine years in federal prison for the attack on a 78-year-old man back in June 2021.
Holt pleaded guilty back in November to the brutal assault.
The backstory:
Authorities said Holt repeatedly stabbed the victim with an ice pick while stealing the victim's F-150.
Prosecutors say the attack began when the victim saw Holt looking underneath his truck. When the victim asked Holt what he was doing, Holt claimed he was "looking for a truck."
When the victim said the F-150 wasn't for sale, Holt initially walked away. However, authorities said Holt returned to the victim's home and attacked the man in his garage.
Court documents outline the brutal attack the 78-year-old victim endured in his own garage: "Mr. Holt struck the victim in the head with a can of varnish. Mr. Holt strangled the victim. Mr. Holt crushed the victim’s throat in the bend of his arm. During the assault, the victim lost consciousness. But Mr. Holt didn’t stop. Mr. Holt dragged the victim into the workshop area in the rear of the garage, grabbed an awl—a common woodworking tool similar to an ice pick – and stabbed the victim multiple times."
Victim's injuries
Timeline:
Prosecutors say Holt then left the 78-year-old victim in the garage fighting for his life and stole the truck.
Holt was ultimately stopped in the truck in Carlton County. He still had the victim's blood on his shoes.
The victim was found covered in blood and varnish. He was rushed to the hospital where he needed emergency treatment for a lacerated tonsil, lacerations to the upper plate palate, facial bruising, lacerations on his face and forehead, a concussion, a fractured rib, seven puncture wounds to his upper left breast, and a collapsed lung.
The victim also then contracted pneumonia caused by blood flowing into his lungs. The man thankfully was able to survive his injuries, the court documents state.
The Source: Court documents and information from U.S. Attorney's Office.