SARASOTA, Fla. – A Sarasota man is behind bars, facing charges for a brutal killing that had gone unsolved for over a quarter of a century. On February 9, 2026, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office officially served an arrest warrant to 55-year-old Kevin Holloway, linking him to the 1999 homicide of Esco Hunter Jr.
The case dates back to the tail end of the millennium. On November 30, 1999, local fire crews and deputies were called to a wooded area near Myrtle Street and North Orange Avenue, where they found a car swallowed by flames.
The vehicle was soon identified as belonging to Hunter. The grim discovery of Hunter’s body followed the next day, found less than a mile away near Central Avenue and 43rd Street. An autopsy later confirmed that Hunter had been shot multiple times.
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For years, the trail went cold, but investigators never quite closed the file. The breakthrough eventually came through a combination of old-school detective work and new cooperation.
Under a renewed push by Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman to prioritize “cold” files, the agency’s Cold Case Unit began a meticulous re-evaluation of every piece of the puzzle. They went over decades-old phone records, re-interviewed original witnesses, and analyzed physical evidence with fresh eyes.
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Crucially, the Sheriff’s Office noted that new witnesses stepped forward recently, providing “critical insight” that helped detectives bridge the gaps in the original timeline. This collaborative effort, which involved the State Attorney’s Office and the Medical Examiner, allowed investigators to finally establish the probable cause needed to move against Holloway.
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Holloway now faces several serious charges, including second-degree murder, arson, and two counts of tampering with evidence.
He is currently being held at the Sarasota County Jail without bond. While the arrest brings a sense of closure to a case that sat on a shelf for 26 years, authorities are still open to hearing from anyone who might have more information.
Anyone with additional information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact the SCSO Criminal Investigations Section Cold Case Unit at coldcase@sarasotasheriff.org.
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