On October 29, 2010, a man posing as a PG&E worker knocked on the door of San Francisco socialite and philanthropist Kate Horan, claiming to be inspecting a gas leak. And on Tuesday, Gary Scott Holland pleaded guilty to brutally murdering Horan with a knife and a pry bar once she opened the door.
According to SFGate, Holland pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and will likely face 50 years to life in prison. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped charges of residential burglary, robbery and attempted rape.
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Horan's murder has been a mystery since the incident -- a highly publicized case and one of the most brutal murders in recent City history -- shocked San Francisco over a year ago.
At the time of the murder, Holland was on parole after serving 11 years of a 13-year sentence for the attempted murder of his aunt. According to the Examiner, Holland called his mother and his ex-wife several hours before the murder, complaining that the state was garnishing his wages to pay for child support. His mother said that Holland was upset that his children "did not want a relationship with him."
According to SFGate, Holland then got high on methamphetamine, dressed in a hard hat with a utility belt and knocked on doors in Horan's building until she finally opened the door. At one point in the trial, the prosecution suggested that Holland may have preyed upon local anxieties over the San Bruno gas leak that killed four people several weeks before the murder.
"It was senseless, it was brutal and it shouldn't have happened," said District Attorney George Gascon. Gascon was police chief at the time of Horan's murder, and said the case deeply affected him. According to the Examiner, critics accused Gascon, who is up for reelection, of scheduling a press conference on Tuesday, Election Day, to influence voters -- a suggestion that Gascon called "sick."
"A woman full of life who was admired by many and respected, lost her life as a result of what I will call an incredibly brutal attack by an animal that should never have been on our streets," he said.
According to the Examiner, Holland's attorney Deputy Public Defender Rebecca Young said that Holland was "hugely remorseful," adding that he broke out in sobs every time they met to discuss the case.
Holland will be sentenced on December 12.
According to Horan's memorial site, Horan was a successful entrepreneur and an avid traveler and fashionista. Horan had just returned from a trip to Argentina with her mother the day before her murder.
"Here I had her for, oh, 11, 13 days, twenty-four-seven, and it was a beautiful gift considering," said her mother in an exclusive interview with ABC.
Watch the interview with Horan's family days after the murder by ABC in the video below: