Trial to begin for SC surgeon accused of killing medical salesman inside doctor’s home
The trial of a doctor accused of involuntary manslaughter in a 2017 Lexington County shooting death begins on Tuesday, according to court officials.
Dr. Adam Lazzarini is accused of killing medical equipment salesman William Player Holland.
Holland, 30, a 2009 Citadel graduate who grew up in Florence County, was in Lazzarini’s house when he was shot, according to evidence in the case. A warrant said Lazzarini pointed a handgun at Holland’s chest while the doctor was under the influence of alcohol.
Lazzarini, an orthopedic surgeon, once worked at Lexington Medical Center, one of the state’s largest hospital complexes, where he specialized in hip replacements. He resigned his position after being charged in Holland’s death.
Deputy solicitor Shawn Graham of the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office will prosecute the case. Attorney Jack Swerling is defending Lazzarini. Judge Debra McCaslin will preside.
“This was purely an accident,” Swerling said. “We are ready to go forward next week and quell some of the rumors that have been floating around for a couple of years. We hope that once the prosecution has presented its case, and once we have presented our case, the jury will come to the conclusion that this was an accident.”
The 11th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s office declined comment
According to evidence in the case, Lazzarini traveled to Georgia on a business trip with Holland on Oct. 9, 2017.
After they returned to Lazzarini’s Cayce home that evening, Lazzarini shot Holland in a bedroom, according to police reports. The Cayce Department of Public Safety initially said the death appeared to be an accident.
Seven months later, on May 1, 2018, Lazzarini called paramedics to his home. His wife of 10 years, Vanessa Biery Lazzarini, 43, was unresponsive, and paramedics were unable to revive her.
While investigating her death, authorities said they uncovered evidence that Lazzarini had lied about what happened in the Holland shooting and charged him with involuntary manslaughter and obstruction of justice.
Lazzarini has never been charged in his wife’s death, and the obstruction of justice charge in Player’s death was dismissed in December 2020, leaving only the involuntary manslaughter charge to be adjudicated.
Holland’s family has also sued Lazzarini in a wrongful death case. Motions filed for that case show that Lazzarini has declared bankruptcy.
The trial will pit two powerhouse lawyers against one another.
Graham is a veteran 11th Judicial Circuit prosecutor who has been in dozens of homicide trials. He is a former winner of South Carolina’s prosecutor of the year award. Swerling is a veteran South Carolina defense attorney with more than 45 years experience.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 11:37 AM.