MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - The criminal case against former Rutherford County real estate agent Justin Holder is scheduled for trial in 2027. Before the trial begins, however, the court will likely have to address several complex questions surrounding a substantial collection of sensitive digital evidence. Prosecutors and attorneys representing potential victims may seek protective measures to safeguard privacy, while the judge will also determine how, where and under what conditions Holder’s defense attorney may inspect the evidence.

Holder (pictured below and above article) appeared before Rutherford County Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell approximately two weeks ago for what court records listed as a plea hearing. But after it was confirmed that no plea agreement had been reached, the court granted a continuance and scheduled the case for trial on May 10, 2027.

The case stems from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation inquiry requested by the Rutherford County District Attorney General’s Office. That investigation included witness interviews, searches and the examination of electronic devices reportedly connected to Holder.

A Rutherford County grand jury later returned indictments charging Holder with one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of disseminating unlawful photographs, two counts of unlawful exposure with intent to cause emotional distress and four counts of unlawful photographing in violation of privacy. Holder is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

A central issue in the pending case involves how defense attorneys will be permitted to inspect evidence that prosecutors say includes more than 100,000 sexually explicit images recovered from devices allegedly belonging to Holder. Because some of the material may include images of minors or photographs allegedly obtained without the knowledge or consent of those depicted, the court must balance the defense’s right to review the evidence against laws and privacy protections governing sensitive material.

Cases involving unlawful photography and alleged sexual-exploitation evidence, sometimes require extensive pretrial litigation. Judges may be asked to determine where the evidence can be examined, who may view it, whether copies can be made and what safeguards must be imposed to prevent further dissemination.

The current prosecution is not the first time Holder’s name has appeared in reports involving allegations of inappropriate electronic communications. Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office records show that deputies investigated separate harassment complaints in 2021 involving women who reported receiving unwanted messages about breast surgeries, implants and photographs. Investigators identified Holder as a suspected sender, reviewed screenshots and obtained records connected to a Google Voice account. However, a detective documented that the evidence available at the time did not conclusively establish who was operating the account when the messages were sent, and no arrest was made in connection with those complaints.

Before the current criminal case reached the grand jury, Holder was also accused of sending a Rutherford County woman a questionable image or images through Facebook Messenger. WGNS spoke with the woman, whose name is being withheld because of the ongoing court case.

She described the events that followed the alleged message as a rapidly expanding series of disclosures.

“It's like a domino effect, one thing happened and then a million other things started unraveling - - coming out.”

The woman told WGNS News that she came to view Holder’s alleged conduct as a pattern of gradual boundary testing.

“Over two years, I have learned that what I was experiencing and witnessing was exposure grooming.”

Although grooming is often discussed in connection with children who are targeted for sexual abuse, the term can also describe gradual psychological manipulation directed toward an adult. The conduct may involve testing boundaries, creating confusion, normalizing inappropriate behavior and evaluating whether the person objects or complies.

The woman alleged that Holder would engage in increasingly provocative behavior to gauge her response. She described one encounter in which she said a firearm was involved.

“I got in the car one time and he had a gun pointed at me.”

The woman said she told Holder that he was frightening her and asked him to put the gun away. According to her account, he responded, “Honey, it'll be over really quick.”

She said she remained calm and again told him that the situation was not funny. She alleged that Holder then said, “...I'll make it look like a suicide.”

According to the woman, she reached for the vehicle’s door handle, prompting Holder to say, “Oh, I'm just playing, I'm just kidding,” before telling her he was “just joking.”

The woman said she submitted an emailed complaint detailing Holder’s alleged behavior to the Tennessee Realtors association in August 2025. She said she did not receive a response in the months that followed.

A petition was subsequently created asking the Tennessee Real Estate Commission and other real estate organizations to review Holder’s license and the allegations against him. The online petition received 483 verified signatures and called for Holder’s license to be suspended while the criminal case remained pending.

“The public is depending on TREC to expedite the process and suspend his license pending the outcome of the criminal trial,” the petition stated.

Records from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance show that Holder retired his real estate license on his own, effective March 12, 2026. His original license had been approved approximately 21 years earlier.

The TBI investigation reportedly expanded after agents executed search warrants at Holder’s home in Murfreesboro’s Oakleigh subdivision on June 6, 2025. Authorities are said to have seized electronic devices and other potential evidence during the search.

Holder was also accused of driving under the influence that same day. The separate “first-offense DUI” charge is scheduled for a plea hearing before Judge Ben Bennett on September 8, 2026.

According to the indictment dates described in court records, the aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor charge is connected to an alleged offense on November 1, 2024. Under Tennessee law, that offense generally concerns material depicting a minor engaged in sexual activity or patently offensive simulated sexual activity, including circumstances involving the promotion, distribution, transportation, purchase, exchange or possession of such material with the intent to distribute it.

The four unlawful photographing in violation of privacy charges are reportedly tied to November 27, 2021. The offense generally involves knowingly photographing or causing another person to be photographed without effective consent under circumstances in which the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy and the image would be considered offensive or embarrassing.

The two disseminating unlawful photographs charges are linked to alleged conduct on August 1 and August 10, 2025. Dissemination generally refers to transferring, publishing, sharing or otherwise making an unlawfully obtained image accessible to another person.

The two unlawful exposure with intent to cause emotional distress charges are reportedly connected to those same August 2025 dates.

The case is scheduled to return to Judge Tidwell’s courtroom for another motion hearing in approximately five weeks. That proceeding could address unresolved questions about evidence access, privacy protections and the procedures defense attorneys must follow when examining the digital material. Those decisions would help establish the legal boundaries for handling the evidence before the case reaches a jury in May 2027.

DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest or charge of an individual is not an indication of guilt.