Yesterday, Rainess Holmes III was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2021 murder of Rhodes College student Drew Rainer, and for several aggravated burglary cases. According to Action News 5, Holmes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the incident that took place during a home invasion on McLean Boulevard.
Although not the individual who fired the shot that killed Rainer, Holmes was one of four men who broke into the home on October 3, 2021. FOX13 Memphis reports that Memphis Police are still searching for the other suspects involved. The Rainer family, who was present in court, supported the outcome of the sentencing.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office confirmed to The Commercial Appeal that Holmes also pled guilty to three separate counts of aggravated burglary, and those sentences will run concurrently with his sentence for murder. As part of the crime, Holmes and others demanded electronics, and other valuables from those present during the invasion.
"We are eternally grateful for the gift of Drew's life," Rainer's family communicated in a statement shared with The Commercial Appeal, "Drew changed the lives of all who knew and loved him. May God use our overwhelming sorrow for his glory. No sentence imposed by a court will bring Drew back, and our family will never be complete. We are, however, satisfied with the legal resolution of this case."
Authorities later disclosed that a stolen iPad taken during the invasion was traced to a hotel where Holmes had checked in. He initially evaded capture by fleeing into a drainage ditch but was later apprehended at a residence in Binghampton. Holmes' criminal history, prior allegations of violence, and his eventual capture have led to this recent sentencing.
