Cheerleading rivalries can get intense, but no one could have predicted the extremes Wanda Holloway would go to for her daughter’s chance at cheer glory. Known infamously as the “Pom-Pom Mom,” Holloway’s attempt to hire a hitman to kill the mother of her daughter’s cheerleading rival remains one of the most shocking scandals in cheer history. Over 30 years later, her chilling story is back in the spotlight with the new Investigative Discovery documentary, The Texas Cheerleader Murder Plot, premiering Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 9/8c and streaming on Max.
In January 1991, the small town of Channelview, Texas, became the center of national attention when Wanda Holloway’s murderous plan unraveled. At the heart of the drama was her obsession with helping her 14-year-old daughter, Shanna, secure a coveted spot on the junior high cheerleading squad. Shanna had failed to make the team twice, and Holloway allegedly believed that eliminating Verna Heath, the mother of her daughter’s rival Amber Heath, would ensure Shanna’s success.
Holloway’s scheme was anything but subtle. She approached her former brother-in-law, Terry Harper, asking him to help her find a hitman. Alarmed, Harper immediately went to the police, agreeing to wear a wire to gather evidence. In the recordings, Holloway is heard laughing about the plan, even negotiating a price: “$5,000 for the girl, $2,500 for the mother.”
Holloway was arrested and charged with solicitation of capital murder. The trial captivated the country, turning Holloway into the face of overzealous parenting. Initially sentenced to 14 years in prison, her conviction was overturned, and she later pleaded no contest, serving just six months of a 10-year sentence before being released on probation.
