Scottsdale woman confesses to smothering her 79-year-old mother with a pillow and killing her in 911 call
Police officials recently revealed that an Arizona woman has admitted to smothering her 79-year-old mother with a pillow. Holly Brennan was arrested on Monday, May 13, at an apartment in Scottsdale which she used to share with her mother, Sharon Simmons, for several years.
According to court documents, a neighbor gave the phone to the suspect and told the dispatcher that "her name was Holly and she needed police there." Brennan also admitted to killing her own mother. "I killed my mom," you could hear Brennan saying in a 911 call. "I smothered her."
During the call, the 911 dispatcher asks:" Is your mother not breathing?" Brennan replies: "Oh, my mother is dead." The dispatcher asks: "And how did you kill your mom?" Brennan replies: "I smothered her."
Authorities investigating the case further revealed that there was a history of domestic violence between the pair, as Brennan was arrested in 2017 over threats against her mom. "She admitted that she smothered her mother with a pillow,” Scottsdale police Sgt. Ben Hoster confirmed to KNXV.
Additionally, Brennan told officers she "hated her mother", but her exact motive had not been found yet. One of the pair's neighbors told the station that he saw Brennan, who he said to be a "little sketchy", confess her crime to investigators at the scene.
"Then they put the cuffs on her and sat her down on the sidewalk," neighbor Mike Bennett told the station. "I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It took a couple of seconds for it to sink in, and I’m like, 'Wow, she just admitted that!'" He further spoke to KSAZ saying Simmons’ death has "just floored" him and other residents at the complex.
"She was just a sweet lady," Bennett said. "The lady was just a beautiful older woman. Her daughter lived there, but she didn’t seem to be the friendliest." It is yet to be seen if Brennan, who is most likely to face first-degree murder charges, has hired an attorney.
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