Man gouged uncle's eyes out after remote control dispute

A career criminal allegedly gouged out his uncle’s eyes while the two men fought over a remote control on New Year’s Eve, police said. Will County Sheriff’s police were called shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday to a residence in the 1100 block of McKay Street where a 62-year-old man reported he had been attacked. A deputy was allowed inside and found the victim at the bottom of the basement stairs with his hands stretched out in front of him, saying, “Please help. I cannot see,” reports said.

The victim, whose name was not released, had “blood streaming from both eyeballs, covering his face below his eyes. Both of his eyeballs were swollen, dislocated and were protruding approximately a quarter-inch from the eye sockets,” police said. The man told police he and his nephew, Exulam I. Holman, 32, had been arguing over the TV’s remote control. Both men live at the McKay Street home.



Holman allegedly broke the remote on the ground, pushed his uncle to the kitchen floor and straddled him. Holman is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 280 pounds. His uncle is five inches shorter and weighs 140 pounds less. The victim told deputies that Holman “inserted his thumbs into his eyes … and attempted to pry the eyeballs out of the sockets.” Holman then allegedly pushed his uncle down the basement stairs.

Despite being in “excruciating” pain and at one point losing consciousness, he was able to call 911. A deputy found Holman in a locked bedroom and arrested him on a charge of aggravated domestic battery. The victim was taken to Silver Cross Hospital and later transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital for advanced care. Sources reported he is now blind in his left eye and will require additional surgery for the limited vision in his right. On Tuesday, Holman’s bond was set at $1 million. Police report he has been arrested 25 times since 1999.