Father gives up rights

last updated 8 January 2015

Canton, Mass.

Patrick Holland, 14, this week won the right to “divorce” his father, who murdered Patrick’s mother six years ago. When Patrick was 8, he awoke one morning and discovered his mother’s body in the family’s Massachusetts home. She had been shot eight times. Patrick’s father, Daniel Holland, was later sentenced to life in prison for the crime. But under state law, Holland retained his parental rights, enabling him to keep tabs on Patrick by requesting copies of his school and counseling records. Patrick filed a lawsuit to sever all legal ties to his father, and after a brief hearing Daniel Holland gave in. “It’s like a big weight’s been lifted off my shoulders,” Patrick said.