The television producer and the drug dealer were not strangers by the time Kiersten Cerveny entered the picture. Johnson had been a customer of Holder’s for years, as well as a sort-of partner in their drug and sex ring. In fact, the very evening of Dr. Cerveny’s untimely demise, Johnson made contact with Holder via text about buying drugs. The HBO producer had been out that night in October celebrating the upcoming start of shooting for his television show, The Deuce (ironically about New York’s porn industry), and decided to keep the party going with Cerveny.

This familiarity gave both men a measure of discretion that drove their poor actions when they discovered the dermatologist overdosing in Holder’s apartment. After years of being accomplices in illicit activities, neither man was new to hiding things from the authorities. However, their partnership did not make them close friends, as evidenced by Holder immediately abandoning Johnson after dropping Cerveny in his apartment building’s lobby.

Photo: New York Post

HBO producer Marc Johnson claimed Dr. Cerveny was only an acquaintance whom he met along with a group of friends on the night of the dermatologist’s death. After spending some time drinking at a bar, the two shared a cab and went to see James Holder, their mutual drug dealer. In his apartment, Kiersten Cerveny consumed a lethal amount of cocaine and lost consciousness. Rather than call for an ambulance immediately or try to help her in some other way, the two men were more concerned with doing their best to distance themselves, and their illegal acts, from any trouble with the authorities.

Their fears and sense of self-preservation drove them to drag the doctor’s body out of the drug and sex den, carrying her by her arms and legs down to the lobby. Holder immediately fled while Johnson attempted to resuscitate her, then called an ambulance before leaving himself.

Soon after Kiersten Cerveny’s death, witnesses told investigators they saw two men drag the doctor’s body down the hall. This originally made investigators suspect foul play, but Dr. Cerveny’s autopsy ultimately concluded her death to be accidental. About seven months later, police identified Holder and Johnson and arrested them for distribution of cocaine. Holder was charged with running a distribution ring while Johnson was charged with becoming an accessory after the fact.
Although lawyers quickly began talking about a plea deal, the men’s fate was sealed when prosecutors showed security footage in court of Johnson and Holder dragging Cerveny down the stairs before leaving her in the foyer. The video made it apparent that both men neglected to seek help for the obviously overdosing woman right away, possibly contributing to her death. After seeing the footage in court, Johnson pleaded guilty to his charge a year following his initial arrest.

Photo: Daily Mail

Their guilt apparent, Johnson and Holder were finally sentenced in 2017 for their part in Dr. Kiersten Cerveny’s death. Johnson faced up to ten years in prison and Holder up to 20. Johnson pushed to avoid a jail sentence, while Holder’s attorneys were fighting restitution pay for Cerveny’s family, saying Kiersten was a victim of her own poor choices, which resulted in Holder’s sentencing being pushed back. In the end, though, neither perpetrator came out the other end free and clear: in May, 2017, Judge Jesse Furman sentenced James Holder to five years in prison after pleading guilty to maintaining a drug distribution house, and in August of that same year, he handed down to Marc Johnson a prison sentence of one year and one day. In addition to the jail time, Johnson was also required to pay a $20,000 fine as well as given two years of supervised release. 

Photo: DNAinfo