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At the age of 14, Shanna Holloway thought she would lose her mother forever.
“I can't even get into the courtroom,” the 47-year-old told Fox News Digital. “When my mother was convicted, I thought I would never see her again. I really thought I would never see her. Well, I might see her, but I wouldn't be able to touch her for 14 or 15 years.”
Wanda Holloway, left, and her daughter Shanna leave a courtroom in Houston on March 6, 1991, after a child custody hearing regarding Shanna and her brother. Wanda was accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill the mother of a girl competing with Shanna to be a cheerleader. (AP Photo/David Scarbrough)
In 1991, Wanda Holloway was accused of conspiring to murder the mother of her daughter's cheerleading competitor. The case that shook the city of Channel View, Texas and the rest of the country, is now being explored in a true-crime docu-series on the investigative website (ID), “The Texas Cheerleading Murder Plot.”
“Texas Murder Plot Encouragement” is currently airing. (investigation discovery)
According to the network, the special aims to highlight Wanda's “true feelings” and how Shana dealt with the aftermath of the high-profile trial.
Shanna, who still lives in Texas, is now a teacher and mother of two. She described that her past has been haunting her for decades.
Shanna still resides in Texas, where the case occurred. (investigation discovery)
“We had pep rallies at my school when I started teaching,” she recalled. “I remember one time when I was pregnant, I went to a pep rally. I started having cramps. My stomach started clenching with excitement.”
“Just the word 'boom boom,' it's hot,” she said softly.
Growing up, Shanna had a close relationship with Wanda, who was recognized as a devoted mother in her blue-collar community. Like many girls, cheerleading caught Shana's attention. While she eventually lost interest, Wanda reportedly pushed her to keep pursuing it.
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Growing up, Shanna had a close relationship with her mother. Community members said Wanda would do anything for her daughter. (investigation discovery)
“I guess I wasn't very competitive,” Shanna said. “It's not in my nature. And this was a period where you had to be very competitive. And it wasn't just for fun. You had to be able to trip, you had to be able to cheer, you had to have the ability to trip.” Popularity was almost a job.”
It appears that Wanda, an avid churchgoer, would go to any lengths to ensure that her daughter Shanna would be part of the high school cheerleading team. (investigation discovery)
Authorities said Wanda tried to hire a hitman to eliminate her enemy, Verna Heath. People magazine I mentioned. Texas Monthly She also stated that both women “were known for doing their best for her daughter.”
According to reports, investigators believe Wanda came up with the scheme after Shanna failed to make the cheerleading squad. People revealed that she blamed Heath and her daughter, Amber, for ruining Shanna's chances.
While cheerleading was popular in Texas during the 1980s and 1990s, Shanna said she lost interest. “I guess I wasn't very competitive,” she told Fox News Digital. (investigation discovery)
Investigators believe that if Heath was eliminated, Amber would be too distraught to compete. This would cement Shanna's place on the team.
According to reports, Wanda called her former brother-in-law, Terry Harper, and asked if he could arrange the hit. Harper said he would, then went to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He agreed to wear the wire To collect any evidence against Wanda.
Wanda's house case time. (Mark Perlstein/Getty Images)
Texas Monthly noted that the main reason Harper went to the police was because if anything happened to Heath or Amber, he wanted to make sure he wouldn't be considered a suspect.
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Newsweek reported that the defense said Wanda's ex-husband, Tony Harper, conspired with his brother to frame her. (discovery investigation)
Shanna had no idea what happened behind the scenes. The defense later claimed that Wanda's ex-husband, Tony Harper, conspired with his brother to frame her. Newsweek reported.
Wanda was arrested before the plot could come to fruition. The press quickly dubbed her “Pom Pom Mom.” “Hay was convicted of solicitation of first-degree murder in 1991, but the conviction was overturned due to a mistrial,” the Texas Monthly reported.
According to the outlet, she was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1996. Wanda was released on probation in 1997.
Shanna said the high-profile case negatively affected her mental health for years. At some point, she no longer wanted to live. (AP Photo/David Scarborough)
Shanna said she suffered for years from the intense scrutiny she faced in her hometown after the trial.
“We didn't talk about it…it was just swept under the rug,” Shanna said. “I wasn't allowed to talk about it. I would almost get reprimanded if I brought it up. I couldn't even talk about it without feeling red and sweaty and tight in my chest…I repressed all that baggage that I didn't have that wasn't dealt with.”
Tony Harper, ex-husband of murder conspirator Wanda Holloway. (Mark Perlstein/Getty Images)
“…I had suicidal thoughts,” she admitted. “I never acted on it, but I didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't have anything to live for. I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was overwhelmed, I got so stuck in a negative mindset… I… “I was prescribed medication…and at one point, I was taking seven different pills.”
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Wanda believes there are still misconceptions about her family. (investigation discovery)
From the ages of 14 to 33, Shanna said, she didn't talk about what happened. At the age of thirty-three, she found herself on her kitchen floor crying.
“That wasn't something I was going to do — cry,” Shanna said. “I kept everything. But doing so takes a physical toll. It gave me stomach problems and headaches… It affects people differently, but it affected my health. I felt like I couldn't go on anymore… It eats you alive. It will “It will eventually catch up with you if you don't deal with it.”
“I couldn't see a way out of the pain that was always there,” she added.
High school cheerleader Amber Heath, left, and her mother Verna Heath enter a courtroom in Houston on September 3, 1991. (AP Photo/David Scarborough)
Shanna sought help with her mental health through counseling. For the first time in decades, she was encouraged to speak publicly about what happened and how she dealt with it privately. She launched a website, Smile more and worry lesswhich offers online courses to others suffering from depression.
“I wanted to heal, and this is part of the healing process,” Shana said. “I wanted to show that you can go through trauma like I did, be at your lowest point, and still be able to come back if you put in the work and talk about it. That's what The documentary also helped me do this “Talk about it.”
While Shanna is in a relationship with Wanda today, her idea of speaking out on camera received “a lot of opposition” from family members.
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Shanna is still in a relationship with her mother, Wanda. (discovery investigation)
“I've been threatened with lawsuits,” Shana said. “I had to make it clear that it's not just me trying to stir up these things and hurt everyone. That's not my goal… There are people who are hurting, and they don't know what to do.”
Shanna hasn't spoken to Amber since the accident New York Post I mentioned. But today, Shanna hopes that by revisiting her past, others who are particularly struggling with their trauma will be encouraged to share their stories.
“I don't think I'm 100% healthy. And I don't think I ever will be,” she said. “But I can tell you that I no longer wake up every morning feeling anxious. I had a constant weight on my chest before I took meds. I didn't even know what it felt like to not have that anxiety inside me. My chest because it's been there since… That I was 14 years old.”
Shanna is seen here watching her mother's trial on TV. (discovery investigation)
“I'm used to it,” Shanna said. “…But I didn't have to feel this way all the time…I feel like a huge weight or burden has been lifted off my shoulders. And even the relationships with my mom and dad, we're starting to heal now because it's being talked about for once.”
“The Texas Cheerleading Murder Plot” is available to stream on Max.
