June 15th 2024.
It has been seven long years since a man was found guilty of murdering nursing student Holly Bobo, and now the case has returned to a Tennessee courtroom. With Bobo's parents present, the judge listened to legal arguments yesterday as Zachary Adams seeks a new trial for the kidnapping, rape, and killing of 20-year-old Bobo, who went missing from her rural home in 2011. Her body was discovered three years later, ending a massive search by both authorities and her family.
Adams, along with two other men, was charged with Bobo's kidnapping, rape, and murder. However, only Adams stood trial and was convicted in 2017, receiving a life sentence plus 50 years. The Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld his conviction in 2022. But now, a rarely used legal filing has emerged as Adams asks for a new trial based on statements made by Jason Autry, a key witness during the trial who now claims he was lying.
During the trial, Autry spoke calmly and deliberately as the jury listened to his testimony about the day Bobo was taken, raped, and killed. He claimed to have served as a lookout as Adams shot Bobo under a bridge near a river. Autry's testimony was highly praised by the trial judge as being credible. However, no DNA evidence was found connecting Adams to Bobo, and instead, the prosecution relied on testimonies from friends and inmates who claimed Adams had spoken about harming Bobo after her death.
The investigation into Bobo's death was the most exhaustive and expensive in the history of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Witnesses painted a disturbing picture of drug use in rural West Tennessee, and emotions ran high during the trial, with Bobo's mother collapsing on the witness stand. Autry, who was also charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder, received leniency for his testimony and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was released in 2020 but was arrested again on federal weapons charges.
Adams' brother, John Dylan Adams, also pleaded guilty to charges in Bobo's killing and received a 35-year prison sentence. Now, Adams is seeking a new trial through a coram nobis petition, claiming that Autry is recanting his testimony and admitting that he made up the story to avoid a life sentence. For this petition to be successful, Adams must present new evidence.
The petition states that Autry met with a forensic neuropsychologist in December and confessed to making up the story while in jail before the 2017 trial. He allegedly used extensive cellphone data to create a false story, admitting that he "just added Holly to it." Adams' lawyer argued that a hearing should be granted to discuss Autry's recanting as new evidence, but the prosecution believes that the case has already been thoroughly litigated.
The prosecutor from the trial, Jennifer Nichols, stated that Adams has not provided any new evidence to support his claim that Autry's testimony was false. She also pointed out that other trial witnesses had made incriminating statements about Adams' involvement in Bobo's death, making Autry's testimony just one piece of the puzzle. The judge has yet to rule on whether the case will be dismissed without an evidentiary hearing.
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