Duluth Man Sentenced to 110 Months’ Imprisonment for Violent Carjacking, Resulting in Life-Threatening Injuries to Victim

MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Warren Holt Jr., of Duluth, Minnesota, was sentenced to 110 months in prison for one count of carjacking. 

Holt was sentenced before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim on September 28, 2026. He previously pleaded guilty on November 7, 2025.

According to court documents, on June 16, 2021, the defendant brutally attacked a then-78-year-old victim during a carjacking in Duluth, Minnesota. On that day, Holt approached the victim’s home and told the victim that he was “looking for a truck.” When the victim told Holt that the truck was not for sale, Holt briefly left.

Later, the defendant returned and brutally attacked the victim, including hitting, strangling, and stabbing the victim, resulting in the victim becoming unconscious and bleeding profusely with broken ribs and puncture wounds to his chest. The victim was later admitted to the intensive care unit and faced life-threatening injuries. 

After the violent assault, Holt stole the victim’s truck and fled the scene. He was stopped and apprehended in Carlton County, Minnesota, where officers found him with a fresh cut on his right wrist and blood on his shoes.

“This defendant committed a vicious act that left a 78-year-old victim with critical injuries. While no sentence can fully heal the harm that he caused, it does provide justice to the victim and his loved ones,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

“The carjacking committed by this defendant was carried out with callous disregard for the life of the victim or the safety of our community,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Benni Jonsson. “Such violence inflicted upon an innocent victim is truly shocking. We hope that today’s sentence brings a sense of justice served and is a step toward healing for the victim and his family.”

“The Duluth Police Department appreciates our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the case, resulting in Holt being sentenced to 110 months in prison and holding him accountable for the actions he inflicted on the 78-year-old victim, and for the angst he caused on the victim’s family, friends, and loved ones. Violence of any kind is not tolerated in Duluth, and we will continue to hold those accountable who are victimizing members of our community,” said Chief of Police for the Duluth Police Department Mike Ceynowa.

This case was the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Garrett S. Fields prosecuted the case.