Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Erik Maund, a Texas car dealer, orchestrated the murder-for-hire of his former mistress, Holly Williams, and her estranged boyfriend, William Lanway. The incident occurred after Lanway learned about Maund and Williams’ affair and attempted to extort the former, per the DA’s report. Evidence showed that Lanway demanded money from Maund, a married man, and threatened to reveal the affair if he didn’t comply.
The report stated that Maund initially hired Gilad Peled to help him deal with the extortion issue. Peled then hired Bryon Brockway and James Carey to look into Lanway and Williams. Brockway and Carey then fatally shot Williams and Lanway on March 12, 2020, and left the victims’ bodies in a car near a construction site in Nashville. Detectives used phone and financial records, among other evidence, to link all four suspects to the murders.
Peled pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the murders. Later, he testified at the trial for Maund, Brockway, and Carey. A federal jury then convicted all three in November 2023.
ABC 20/20’s episode “Sealed with a Kill” will further look into Holly Williams and William Lanway’s murder-for-hire case. The all-new episode premieres on the network this Friday, February 9, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET.
What was Erik Maund’s motive behind Holly Williams and William Lanway’s murder-for-hire?
According to People Magazine, a federal indictment revealed that Erik Maund, who was married at the time, was having an extramarital affair with Holly Williams. Then, on February 3, 2020, Maund emailed Williams using an alias, saying he would be in Nashville and would love to see her again.
Two days later, on February 5, Maund, who was staying in a Nashville hotel, texted Williams. The text read, “Good morning beautiful! Looking forward to later today. I’m in Nashville. I will meet you in the bar like last time. Text when you arrive.” Following his visit, Maund “received a series of text messages from William Lanway on March 1. Per the indictment, Lanway had a personal relationship with Williams.
William Lanway reportedly demanded payment from Erik Maund. The former also threatened to expose his affair with Williams if he did not receive it. To deal with the situation, Maund hired Gilad Peled, who then hired Bryon Brockway and James Carey.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, evidence showed that on March 9, 2020, Peled received a document concerning Williams. The document stated that Carey and Brockway had surveilled Holly Williams. Federal officers said that it said they “would use everything at their disposal to stop the attempted extortion of [Erik] Maund.”
The Tennessean reported that prosecutors claimed Brockway and Carey fatally shot William Lanway on March 12, 2020. The incident occurred in the parking lot of Williams’ apartment complex in West Nashville on March 12. The duo then kidnapped Williams, took Lanway’s body, and drove to a construction site. Then, Carey fatally shot Williams, and they left both the bodies at the site inside a vehicle.
In November 2023, a federal jury convicted Erik Maund, Bryon Brockway, and James Carey in the murder-for-hire case. The jury found Maund guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and not guilty of kidnapping resulting in death. Meanwhile, Brockway and Carey were convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping with death resulting. Peled had previously pleaded guilty to the same charges and also testified at their trial.
ABC 20/20’s episode on Holly Williams and William Lanway’s murder-for-hire by Erik Maund will air on February 9, 2024.
