Blood on shirt probably dripped from Ricky's hair, expert says

A T-shirt stained with Ricky Holland's blood provides clues as to how the boy was killed, a forensic scientist testified Tuesday during Lisa Holland's murder trial.

Much of the blood - which probably came from a wound on the back or top of Ricky's head - either dripped from his hair or brushed against the shirt like a paintbrush, said Ann Gordon of the Michigan State Police.

The shirt's Sea World logo and small, cartoon drawings of a penguin, whale and dolphin were a stark contrast to the dozen or so patches of blood of varying sizes.

Lisa Holland is charged with murder and child abuse in the death of her adopted 7-year-old son, Ricky.

Her husband, Tim Holland, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is expected to testify against her when he takes the stand today. The trial is in its fourth week.

Tim Holland has said Lisa told him she killed Ricky with a hammer.

Two Ingham County Jail inmates also have said Lisa confessed to striking the boy with a hammer. Lisa Holland has said Tim killed the boy.

Gordon, whose testimony lasted the entire day, described several suspected and confirmed blood stains found in the Hollands' home.

A few tiny "spatter stains" were found on a wall between a television and DVD cabinet, Gordon said. The tiny streaks and droplets, she said, were "the result of blood that received some force."

DNA tests revealed the blood came from the male child of Ricky's biological parents - meaning it was overwhelmingly likely Ricky's.

The 31 shredded pieces of the T-shirt were sealed in a plastic Ziploc bag, which was discovered inside a backpack Lisa Holland tried to take from the family's Williamston home during a Sept. 6 police search.

Lisa Holland's attorneys have said she didn't know the plastic bag was inside the backpack, which was being used as a diaper bag.