Funeral services announced for East Texas attorney Clifton ‘Scrappy’ Holmes

KILGORE — An East Texas criminal defense attorney will be buried this week. Clifton L.“Scrappy” Holmes died at the age of 81 and will be memorialized at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore. According to our news parnter KETK, Holmes was born in Kilgore and upon earning his law degree from George Washington University National Law Center returned to East Texas. Holmes served in numerous cases across a 50-year-career including, Bernie Tiede, a Carthage funeral home worker who befriended and killed a wealthy widow in 1996.

The case was made into a movie starring Jack Black. Holmes received numerous honors including being named to the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Hall of Fame. He is survived by children Niki Holmes, Bryan and Vikki Holmes, Lacy and Michael Houck and Shelly Holmes, according to Rader Funeral Home. His wife, Edwina, proceeded him in death.