Disgruntled Employee Allegedly Planted Homemade Bomb Under Boss’ Bed – But He Survived, Calling It His Christmas Miracle


A 54-year-old Louisiana man, Douglas Holley, was arrested after allegedly planting a homemade bomb underneath his boss, Bobby Hewlett’s, bed which he shares with his wife Tracey, according to the Daily Mail.

At approximately 4 a.m. last Saturday, the couple awoke to an explosion that caused their bodies to fly a few feet into the air, along with their “mattress and comforter.” The blast “shook the house, knocking pictures from the walls and other items from the shelves,” but fortunately, the couple survived the explosion, calling it their Christmas miracle.

The Hewlett’s live at their 280-acre Holly Hill Farm Equestrian Center in Benton, Louisiana, and had just recently returned after visiting their son in Australia. When they went to bed, they were awakened by a “big flash of light, and both of us went flying,” said Tracey.

“My husband, who is a veterinarian, flew over the top of me onto the floor by my side.”

Their cat and three dogs were also on the bed during the blast, but they too were unhurt.

The couple believed the explosion was from a gas leak, so they immediately alerted emergency services, but when they arrived at their farm house, they discovered that a homemade bomb was planted under their bed. Benton police asked the husband and wife if there was anyone who was upset with them and could possibly “get expletives into their house,” and Tracey mentioned Holley, who was a maintenance worker on their farm.

Holley lived on the couple’s farm for four years, and Tracey recalled an incident that occurred six months earlier when Holley asked Bobby to treat his horse, who was suffering from colic. For undisclosed reasons, Bobby was unable to do so, and the horse later died. She also stated that during the time they were in Australia, Holley had access to their home. Before that incident, Tracey stated that they “had never had any problems with him. But he’s a bit of a loner, very anti-government, never wanted to work with anybody. He had been estranged from his family. But besides that, he’s a likable guy that everybody here got along with.”

According to CBS News, Benton police officials searched Holley’s home which was “few hundred feet from the Hewletts’ house,” and discovered that he searched how to make explosives, and “bomb-making materials” was found in the home. Holley was arrested for planting a homemade bomb under his boss’ bed, and the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Lt. Bill Davis, stated that it was unclear if the homemade bomb had a timer on it or if it was set off using a fuse. Davis added that “he knew where they were and where they would be.”

Tracey stated that she was shocked that Holley would try to kill her and her husband because she once “called him a friend. He didn’t have much of a relationship with his family so he ate Christmas Eve dinner with us last year.”

She went on to say that although he allegedly planted the homemade bomb under the bed, and it’s a Christmas miracle that they are still alive, they feel sorry for him because he’s now “ruined his life.”

Bobby added that after the explosion, other employees informed the couple that Holley had said “some odd things to them. Just all this anti-government stuff, something about witchcraft. Really bizarre things,” leading Bobby to believe that his former maintenance worker was mentally ill.

Neighbors were also stunned after learning Holley was accused of planting a bomb under the farm owner’s bed. Ben Hudson, who worked with Holley on the farm, stated that “when I heard this, it blew my mind. He was a fine fellow. If you asked for help, he would help you. He never seemed like he had a vendetta. But people called him a loner. He didn’t keep company.”

“He was a private guy,” said Hudson. “He made his life his work.”

After Douglas Holley alleged planted a homemade bomb under his boss’ bed, he was arrested and charged with “two counts of attempted first degree murder and one count of manufacturing a bomb.”

According to jail records, he is currently being held at the county jail without a bond.

[Image via Bossier Sherriff’s Department]

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