Man charged with murder after Las Vegas police found human remains in stolen van

(CNN) – A man driving in the Las Vegas area with a severed head in the back of an allegedly stolen truck was charged with murder, according to a criminal complaint.

Eric Holland was arrested on December 24, according to the complaint.

On Dec. 23, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer attempted to stop a Toyota Tundra truck that had its license plate suspended, according to the complaint. The driver “initially stopped” but then drove away when officers tried to speak to him, according to the court document.

The truck then pulled into a parking lot. Moments later, another pickup, “a gold Chevrolet Avalanche,” was seen pulling out of the parking lot, according to court documents.

It is unclear if Holland was the same driver for both vehicles.

Police followed the Avalanche van to a housing complex, where Holland got out and repeatedly ignored police orders, according to court documents. Once Holland was in custody, police were able to confirm that both trucks were allegedly stolen, according to the complaint.

When searching the gold truck, police found a black plastic garbage bag that gave off “an unpleasant smell” with a severed head inside, according to the complaint.

Holland said at the scene that he would not respond to questions without an attorney, according to the complaint.

Other refrigerators found in the golden van allegedly contained “two human legs” and “a possible human torso,” according to the complaint.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Richard P. Miller, a 65-year-old white male from Las Vegas. The coroner’s office ruled the death a homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds.

An attorney for Holland, P. David Westbrook, said: “The body recovered in this case was in the second truck (the Chevy) and not the first truck (the Toyota). Also, the truck bed was covered and the body it was kept in sealed refrigerators ”.

“To dare to assume that Mr. Holland had prior knowledge of the contents of this truck, one would also have to believe that he intentionally led the police to the body,” Westbrook said. “The question is: why would I do this?”

Holland’s next appearance in this case is scheduled for Jan. 27, according to Westbrook and court documents.