Ricky Lee Harnish, who sexually assaulted and killed 16-year-old Holly Marie Andrews in 1976, was sentenced to 24 years in prison this afternoon during a dramatic hearing in Georgetown.
Harnish, 54, received the maximum term in a negotiated plea with prosecutors in exchange for information about the murder.
During the hearing, Harnish apologized to Andrews’ family in a brief and tearful statement.
“Thirty-two years ago I did the unthinkable,” he said. “I took a young life, the life of Holly Marie Andrews. “Today justice will be served and hopefully it (brings) the long-awaited closure for her family.”
Andrews’ sobbing family members told 5th Judicial District Judge Russell H. Granger that 24 years is not enough time for the crime because they waited nearly 33 years to get justice.
“There is no trial,” said Andrews’ older brother, Dave Andrews. “There is no truth. We already knew he raped her from the DNA. What we don’t know about is the seven hours he had Holly before he killed her.”
The family also told the judge that Harnish didn’t just kill their sister, he also took their mother Leona Madson’s life because she lived in a constant state of grief.
“She was like a lioness and her cub was snatched from her,” said Tony Lani, who is married to Andrews’ sister, Tammy. “She writhed in pain and agony and her pain could not be soothed. She embraced that pain because that is all she had left of Holly.”
Leona Madson died in 1997 without knowing the truth of her daughter’s murder.
Andrews left her mother’s home near Littleton on Dec. 26, 1976 to walk to a friend’s house. Around noon the next day, her partially nude body was found 20 feet off Grizzly Gulch Road near Bakerville.
District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said he understands the family’s frustration with a 24-year sentence, but if the case had gone to trial, they may have never known any of the details of the murder.
“If we had gone to trial we would not have found out what happened,” he said. “His statement was valuable to us and valuable to law enforcement.”
In time, Hurlbert said, he hopes the confession will satisfy the family.
“No matter what we do here today we can’t bring her back and that is absolutely true,” the judge said. “No matter what the court does it cannot begin to fill the void the family has.”
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
