Cory's Story

On November 16, 1997, life as we knew it changed forever. The tragic events of that day are difficult to describe, but it is a story that needs to be told and will never be forgotten. Having just graduated from Airport High School, class of 1997, Cory seemed to have the world at his fingertips.

Throughout his senior year, he worked part time as an usher at the Carolina Coliseum. During the summer, as Cory anticipated starting his freshman year at the University of South Carolina, he took on a second part time job at Gadzooks, at Columbiana Mall. Everything was going great for him. Cory had a special personality and a smile that lit up the room. He was always joking and making people laugh and made friends with everyone. There were many girls who liked Cory and he would spend time on the phone with them and at school, but other than a special prom date and a few other occasions, he didn't date much in high school. He spent most of his free time hanging out with his friends and playing his guitar and bass and at home with his family.

While working at Gadzooks, Cory met Jamie Sturdevant.

I could tell Cory had special feelings for Jamie and when I met her for the first time, on Cory's eighteenth birthday, I could see why. I thought she was beautiful, smart and had a sparkle about her, as did Cory. They had just begun to date when her ex-boyfriend, Brett Hollis, started making serious threats. Cory didn't know Brett and didn't want to know him.

On September 17, Cory came home from work visibly shaken and told me that Brett and his friend had come to the mall and threatened to kill him and Jamie. Someone who knew Jamie called the store where they were working and warned them. Brett possessed a loaded gun that he placed in the trunk of the car and had daggers strapped to his body. He sent his friend into the mall to try to get Cory to come outside. Mall security intercepted the friend and escorted him back to his car. Security then brought Brett back into their office and had him sign an agreement banning him from coming back onto mall property for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, they did not confiscate the knives or gun and released him.

I held his hand tightly as Cory told me this story.

I could hear the fear in his voice and see it in his eyes as he cried, "Mom, he was going to kill me". I hugged him tight and we went upstairs to tell Louie what had happened. When Cory mentioned the name of this person, Louie noted that he had worked with someone years ago named Gary Hollis and wondered if they were related. After placing a call to Gary, we found out that Gary was Brett's uncle and also who his parents were. After a couple of tries, Louie was finally able to reach Brett's parents by phone and told them about Brett's threats and the incident at the mall. Even though it was evident that we took this situation deadly serious, Brett's mother stated that Brett was "just blowing hot air" and the mall situation had been blown out of proportion. When Louie asked if Brett had access to any guns, she lied and said no, but that he had a little knife collection. She said that Brett was very jealous of Jamie and that they had broken up several times and he was having trouble letting go. Louie told her that if it was his son, he would want to know about these problems and get to the bottom of the situation and suggested that she get Brett some help. They didn't seem to take it serious and this angered us.

The next day Brett called our house and Cory answered. He tried to cover his story by saying he wasn't going to do anything stupid to mess up his chance to go into the Marines. Cory was afraid to go back to work at the mall and asked his manager if he could have some time off to let things calm down. That was fine and Cory stayed away about two weeks. We continued to asked Cory, almost weekly, if he had heard anything else from Brett. He had not and hoped everything was ok.

But then, on November 13, I received a call from someone asking for Cory. He said his name was Justin and that he was a friend. A few minutes later I checked the caller id and saw that the call had come from Brett's house. I called Louie at work and he redialed the number, asked for Justin and told him not to let Brett get him in trouble, and that he knew what he meant. We then realized that "Justin" was really Brett and became very concerned about what he was up to.

Cory was working at the Coliseum that night, helping set up the stage and usher for The Wallflowers concert. When Cory came home late that night, he tried to call Jamie to ask about the phone call but couldn't reach her. Friday, Cory went to his classes and then to work at the mall for a few hours, but came home early in the evening. He was tired from working long hours that week and was also stressed about this latest incident with Brett.

Saturday, Cory worked at the mall and got off at 4:00 in the afternoon. He spent some time in his room playing his guitar and I noticed he was playing a bit louder than usual and I thought to myself that it sounded really great. He was practicing a Beatles song, "I Want You". We had a family dinner planned at The Olive Garden that night and were looking forward to a nice evening. As we waited for our table, Cory talked to me about work that day and entertained me with a sample version of Adam Sandler's "Thanksgiving Song". He ordered his usual, eggplant parmigiana, and we had a great evening.

At 9:00, Cory left to pick Jamie up from work and spend a little time with her.

They went to her house, watched a movie, "Young Frankenstein", and ate popcorn. They started hearing noises outside and became concerned. Moments later Brett came to the back door and Jamie told Cory to hide in her bedroom. Brett forced his way in the house and pulled a shotgun out from behind his back and began making threats. He ran down the hall looking for Cory, pulled a pistol out of his jacket and fired at Cory, hitting him in the side and the back of his head. As Jamie's mom, Mary, came out of her room to see what was going on, he fired point blank at her, hitting her in the forehead, killing her instantly.

As Jamie tried to run outside with the phone, Brett chased her and dragged her back into the house causing her to hit her head on the metal bed frame, knocking her unconscious momentarily. He then went back to where Cory was and Jamie could hear Cory pleading with Brett to stop. Brett shot Cory point blank in the head, then dragged him into Jamie's closet.

He then brought Jamie into the room, tied her to the bed, gagged her, then raped her several times throughout the next few hours, threatening to kill her and himself. Eventually she was able to convince him that the only option was to go to the police station and turn himself in.

Brett took Jamie with him to the Irmo Police Station and told them he needed to be arrested for killing two people. At first they though he was joking, but soon realized it was no joke. Lexington County officers were called to make the arrest and were sent to the house to discover the horrible crime scene. Brett Hollis was charged with two counts of first degree murder, one count of first degree burglary, kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.

The State was asking for the death penalty. In February of 2000, we went to trial and Brett was convicted on all five counts, but the jury chose the option of a life sentence without parole. The judge sentenced him to two life terms without parole plus sixty years, to be served consecutively. He will never be eligible to get out of prison.

During the trial, it was disclosed that Brett had displayed many signs of being troubled for several years, signs his parents should have heeded. He had self-mutilated by cutting words into his arms and chest, he was depressed and sullen, talked of suicide, he would sneak out of his house at night as he did the night of the murders, he told a Marine recruiter he wanted to be a sniper because he wanted to kill people, he had threatened previous girlfriends and when they learned he was making threats to kill Cory, they blew it off. Several people, including his own relatives testified that they told his mother over the past years that Brett needed psychological help.

All the signs were there, and they did nothing. They didn't even secure their weapons, knowing he could be dangerous. His father testified that he didn't notice anything unusual. When you are dealing with parents that refuse to be concerned, I don't know what can be done. Cory and Mary were the least likely people to have this happen to them. They were both full of love and joy and loved life. I'll never understand how a human being could commit these kinds of horrible acts and inflict such pain on others. It really seems inhuman.

Cory's Music

From the Mode Zero CD Insert

"So there I was checking the inbox when I come across an email from Jana Baxley, Cory's mom. Long story short, she was looking for some Mode Zero songs to put up on the RememberCory.com website, and that's how the idea for this project arose. Why not preserve and pay tribute to Cory's music and the Mode Zero days by writing a digital chapter onto CD? So I dusted off the cobwebs and pulled out all the old tapes from memory lane, and this is what I came up with. Besides a few minor touch-ups and naming all the unnamed songs, I pulled these songs "as were" from the original 4-track tapes. We wrote and recorded all these songs at different intervals throughout our junior and senior years of high school, circa '96 ad '97. And because of our limited recording methods (c'mon we were kids), you may notice some poor sound quality here and there in some songs. We knew how to make our 4-tracks work for us with precision, only we weren't mic'd properly a lot of the times (just kids I tell you!) Anyway, for what we had, Mode Zero did a remarkable job and I often revisit our songs even today (no more tape searches finally). As a band, maybe Mode Zero was a little disjointed (kids). If I'm not mistaken the name "Mode Zero" come to be when there was a disagreement between Mode 37 and some other arbitrary number, so eventually we gave up trying to compromise and chose "Zero" (for the last time, were were kids!) Mode Zero had two organized public performances, the first being at the springtime festival in the stadium of our high school in '96; and the second was at the "Prom Promise" event in April of '97, also in the school stadium (we were shown on the local evening news; word had it that someone taped us from start to finish, would love to see that). But most significant, Mode Zero was the embodiment of four lovers of music/best friends with a desire to develop their talents and experience the joy of creating music. It marked the first time musical collaboration (not counting marching & stage bands) for all of us - an important and unforgettable milestone for any musician. The demise of Mode Zero came unspokenly after we finished high school and delved into our own separate pursuits, but especially after the devastating blow the news dealt the morning of November 16th, 1997, that Cory has been shot and killed in cold blood. He was just 18, overflowing with potential. How could such a big lover of life become a victim of hatred... nothing in the world could've prepared us for the shock and disbelief and anguish of Cory's death (kids no longer). Any reason to go on as Mode Zero was ... never reasoned. But the fresh group experience and all the great memories will be stories for our grandkids. Here are some of Mode Zero's most noteworthy songs (along with many that were canned)."

Enjoy, Drew Abrams

Listen to Tracks

Coming Soon!

Media

The John Walsh Show

The following text was taken from the John Walsh Show's web site. The episode ran on Monday, February 10, 2003.

WHEN TEEN LOVE TURNS FATAL

Despite common misconceptions, statistics show that violence is experienced in 28% of teen relationships. Today, we discuss the alarming incidences of violence and abuse in teen relationships, hear horrifying stories of what happens when this violent behavior gets out of control, and tell you what you can do to help protect teens in abusive dating relationships. In November 1997, when Jamie Sturdevant was just 16 years old, her jealous and controlling ex-boyfriend, Brett Hollis, 17, broke into her home with a .22 caliber pistol. Brett killed Jamie’s new boyfriend, Cory Shcolnik, 18, with three bullets from the pistol. When Jamie’s sleeping mother, Mary, heard the commotion, she opened her bedroom door and Brett fired a single shot at her forehead, killing her instantly. Following the double-murders, Brett pulled four pieces of pre-cut rope from his duffle bag, tied Jamie to her bedpost, and raped her repeatedly for four hours. After the rape, Brett drove Jamie to the local police department and told police that he had just committed two murders. In March 2000, a jury convicted Brett Hollis of the murders, and although prosecutors argued for the death penalty, Brett was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Today, for the first time in public, Jamie shares details of her troubled teen relationship with Brett, and the tragic events that led to the murders of her mother and boyfriend, Cory. We also hear from Cory’s mother, Jana Baxley, and her husband, Louie, who tell us their version of events leading up to the tragic death of their son. Next, we talk with Kristen Rambler, whose teenage boyfriend, Keith, was physically abusive throughout their two-year relationship. When 18-year-old Kristen told Keith in the summer of 2001 that she refused to see him until he got help, he showed up at her home with a gun and killed himself in front of her. Throughout the hour, we also speak with Dr. Jill Murray, author of But I Love Him…Protecting Your Daughter from Controlling, Abusive Dating Relationships. Dr. Murray explains why emotional and/or physical abuse is UNACCEPTABLE in any relationship, especially teen relationships where young girls often feel trapped and too frightened to leave their abusive boyfriend, or ask for help. Plus, we meet Barbara Dehl, whose teen daughter, Cassie, was killed by an abusive boyfriend. Following her daughter’s death, Barbara worked with legislators in Idaho to write and pass Cassie’s Law to protect minors in abusive dating relationships. Today, Barbara shares her heartbreaking story with John, who she says inspired her to pass Cassie’s Law. Like John, Barbara says she refused to let her child die in vain.

The Montel Williams Show

The following text was taken from the Montel Williams Show's web site. The episode ran on Thursday, March 31, 2005.

WHEN REVENGE LEADS TO MURDER

Today we'll hear stories of tragedy that seem unendurable. Jamie was a sophomore in high school when she met Brett. They dated intensely because Brett was constantly calling her and keeping track of her whereabouts. Brett's controlling habits became too much for Jamie and she broke up with him...but he didn't see it that way. When she began dating another young man, Brett announced he was going to kill him - and that's exactly what he did. One night he pushed his way into Jamie's home, shot her new boyfriend, then proceeded to shoot and kill Jamie's mom before raping Jamie. The nightmare ended with Brett driving Jamie to the police station where the two teens reported what happened together. We'll also meet Alicia, whose ex-boyfriend broke the protective order against him, in order to follow through with the death threat he made earlier on her life. With a pistol in hand he attempted to grab Alicia from her car as she was pulling into her grandparents' driveway. Her mom was in the car too, and she dove across the seat to protect Alicia. Alicia's boyfriend proceeded to shoot and kill her mom, grandfather, grandmother, and her aunt. He then took her hostage to his parents' home where his family convinced him to turn himself in to the police.

Healing & Justice

Listed below are some of the web sites that I have found helpful and interesting as I have searched for direction with this journey of grief and dealing with the criminal justice system. There are many more sites that you will come across as you browse through the information and I will be listing other sites as they come to my attention.

Grief Support

• PARENTS OF MURDERED CHILDREN/NATIONAL
• COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS/NATIONAL
• COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS/ATLANTA CHAPTER
• THE GRIEF WAREHOUSE
• MURDER VICTIMS’ SURVIVORS
• MURDER MEMORIAL WALL

Criminal Justice

• SOUTH CAROLINA VICTIM’S ASSISTANCE NETWORK
• OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME/US GOVERNMENT
• JUSTICE FOR ALL - A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ORGANIZATION
• JOIN TOGETHER ONLINE
• SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
• BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

Memorials Scholarship

On November 16, 1997, my son, Cory Shcolnik, was murdered by an out-of-control teenager with a gun. Cory had just turned 18 and was enjoying life and working hard to build his future. He graduated from Airport High School in 1997 and was a freshman at The University of South Carolina. He planned to major in computer science and/or music.

Cory was responsible and worked hard, having two part time jobs, at Gadzooks and the Carolina Coliseum, while attending USC full time. In his spare time he pursued his love of music, playing guitar and bass guitar and writing music. Cory was blessed with more friends than most people have in a long life time. He had an unforgettable smile and a sense of humor that endeared him to everyone. Everything was going great for him until someone decided to shatter his world and mine too.

As his mother, I cannot let my son, who had so much to offer this world, be forgotten. In Cory’s memory, I want to encourage young people to seek non-violent conflict resolutions to situations and strive to be the best person and best friend that they can be.

I have established a scholarship fund from which I will award a $500.00 scholarship each spring to a deserving Airport High School senior who plans to attend USC. I can keep Cory’s memory alive by helping another student accomplish what Cory was working towards before his life was so unfairly taken. Something good must come from such a tragic situation.

For the past three years, Gadzooks, Inc. has generously provided a $500.00 gift certificate to be presented along with this scholarship, making it very special and meaningful. I know Cory must be very proud of this contribution on his behalf and it is a wonderful tribute to him and his life.

Scholarship Awards

• 1998 Recipient - Chris Sinclair
• 1999 Recipient - Regina Goodwin
• 2000 Recipient - Tiffany Poole
• 2001 Recipient - Charles Riley
• 2002 Recipient - Nicole Cardamone
• 2003 Recipient - Laura Colvin
• 2004 Recipient - Amanda Huff
• 2005 Recipient - Meredith Blair Boozer
• 2006 Recipient - Mark Steven Surratt
• 2007 Recipient - Stephanie Boatwright
• 2008 Recipient - Sarah Hines

Tributes

The following memorials are placed in the State Newspaper (SC) each year on the anniversary of Cory's murder.