20/20 - What Happened to Holly Bobo?: Fourteen Days

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

In episode five of What Happened to Holly Bobo, one of Tennessee's most high-profile murder cases goes to trial. To catch new episodes early, follow What Happened to Holly Bobo for free on ⁠⁠⁠�...��Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon Music⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, I'm Deborah Roberts here with another weekly episode of what happened to Holly Bobo Remember you can get new episodes early if you follow what happened to Holly Bobo on Apple podcasts Spotify Or your favorite podcast app now. Here's the episode Whether it's a family member friend or furry companion joining your summer road trip Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with Volvo's legendary safety. During Volvo Discover Days, enjoy limited time savings as you make plans to cruise through Muskoka or down Toronto's bustling streets. From now until June 30th, lease a 2025 Volvo XC60 from 1.74% and save up to $4,000. Conditions apply. Visit your GTA Volvo retailer or go to volvocars.ca In January 2017, defense attorney Jennifer Thompson was preparing for the trial of her
Starting point is 00:00:54 client, Zach Adams. She was poring over the hundreds of pages of material in the Holly Bobo case file and grappling with the confession of Zach's brother, Dylan. Dylan's confession had been a big breakthrough for prosecutors. Here was Zach's own brother saying that the four men who made up what law enforcement called the A-train each played a role in Holly Bobo's kidnapping, rape, and murder. Zach and Dylan Adams and Jason Autry had been indicted in the case. Shane Austin died by suicide in 2015 and was never charged.
Starting point is 00:01:34 Each of the three men who were charged would be tried separately. Zach Adams had pleaded not guilty and was going to be the first to stand trial. If Zach was convicted, he could face the death penalty. While Jennifer Thompson was deep in her preparation for the highly publicized case, she got a call from Jason Autry's attorney. ABC News spoke to her about it in 2024. And he informs us that Jason has been talking to prosecutors and that he's going to be testifying against Zach at trial. After nearly six years of denying he had anything to do with Holly's kidnapping and murder, Jason Autry had completely
Starting point is 00:02:27 changed his story. It was a shocking reversal. And now, Jennifer Thompson had to figure out how to handle Jason Autry's testimony. She had about eight months to do that, to go back through those hundreds and hundreds of pages in the case file and review them again, thinking about Jason Autry's new version of events. I needed more time to prepare in this case. I never felt that I was ready, especially after Jason Autry had changed his whole story. especially after Jason Autry had changed his whole story.
Starting point is 00:03:11 On September 9th, 2017, Zach Adams' trial began. In this episode, I'm going to take you into the courtroom. We're almost six years after Holly's abduction. The Holly Bobo case was about to enter its next chapter. I'm ABC News Senior National Correspondent Eva Pilgrim. From ABC Audio in 2020, this is what happened to Holly Bobo. Episode five, 14 days. Code 5, 14 days. After Holly Bobo disappeared on April 13, 2011, Decatur County became the center of a national story.
Starting point is 00:03:54 But in September 2017, the jury did not file into the Decatur County Courthouse. Circuit Court, Hardin County, Tennessee's nine now in session pursuant to adjournment. The Honorable Siegfried McGinley presiding. Instead, they took their seats in the courthouse of Hardin County, about an hour south. The courthouse is a stately southern building. It's brick with four big white columns framing its entrance. Inside the courtroom, there's ornate wood paneling and rows of chandeliers that have such a warm glow they almost look like candlelight. The judge explained
Starting point is 00:04:39 why everyone was gathered in Hardin County. It would be extremely difficult and I thought impossible to draw the jury from Decatur County. People in Decatur County had followed the ins and outs of the search and the investigation. Many had even participated in the search or shared leads with authorities. And people knew the Bobo family. They knew Zach Adams. They just
Starting point is 00:05:07 knew too much for the judge to believe they could be impartial. Once the jury was seated, the judge had a prosecutor read through the long indictment against Zach Adams with charges of kidnapping, rape, and first-degree murder. Zach sat next to his attorney, listening. He had gained weight since his arrest, and his once thin, almost gaunt face looked much fuller. His dark hair had streaks of gray in it, and was parted neatly to the side.
Starting point is 00:05:43 He was wearing a gray suit and a blue tie. It didn't fit him very well because, well, it wasn't his suit. His defense attorney, Jennifer Thompson, found out he didn't have any formal clothes to wear to the trial, so she lent him her husband's suit. When the prosecutor was done reading the indictment, the judge turned to Zach and asked how he was pleading.
Starting point is 00:06:07 Zach stood up and said one of the only things he would say during the entire trial. I'll give you of all charges. All right. And from there, the judge ordered the trial, a trial that the community had waited years for to begin. The prosecution gave their opening statement first. Paul Hagerman spoke in a very soft, quiet voice,
Starting point is 00:06:36 almost a whisper, and kept his message simple. You took her. You raped her. He raped her. He killed her. He discarded her. He covered her up. He bragged about it. And he almost got away with it. Hagerman kept repeating those three sentences about what Zack was accused of.
Starting point is 00:07:10 It became almost like a chant, a steady drumbeat driving home just how horrific the case was. He took her. He raped her. He raped her. He killed her. Hagerman emphasized the contrast between Holly, safe in the home she grew up in, and Zack, who Hagerman said lived in the world of meth, then morphine. And the dark, dark things that went along with it. That was his life. And then Hagerman outlined how the twists and turns of the investigation brought everyone to the courtroom.
Starting point is 00:07:57 Hearing a case against Zach Adams. He mentioned how investigators looked into convicted sex offender Terry Britt and cleared him when they did not find evidence tying him to Holly's kidnapping, rape, and murder. Hagerman explained that investigators then circled back to four names that had been early leads in the investigation. Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, Shane Austin, and Jason Autry. Hagerman teased the account of their star witness, Jason Autry. When Jason got there, there's Shane, Zach, and Dylan. And then tried to explain why there was no physical evidence that Zach Adams had murdered Holly.
Starting point is 00:08:46 He had a year and a half, two year head start. You can understand why he was so confident that he'd never get called. No DNA. Didn't leave fingerprints behind. Crime seems long, long, long, long gone. He scattered evidence, he sat down. Zach's lawyer, Jennifer Thompson, got up and walked across the courtroom to the jury box.
Starting point is 00:09:34 If Hagerman leaned into the dramatic, emotional details of the case, Thompson tried to give the jury more context. So members of the jury. She described how sprawling the investigation into Holly's death was and how much information there was to sort through. It's almost just like trying to drink from a fire hydrant, all the information they got. Thompson talked about how many people were interviewed
Starting point is 00:10:03 by investigators in the case and ticked through some of the people they focused on as potential suspects. She said this was the most expensive and exhaustive investigation in the history of the state of Tennessee, but that heading into 2013, investigators didn't have anybody they could point to as the culprit. They had nothing. They had a great big goose egg. They paid all this money and they had absolutely nothing to show for it. And the citizens of Decatur County, the family of Holly Bobo,
Starting point is 00:10:38 and the public at large all wanted answers to how such a crime could happen, how the police could be involved right away, and still, after all the resources and all the information they had, they could have absolutely nobody charged by that point. Thompson also said prosecutors had a terrible problem. They did not have physical evidence tying Zach Adams to Holly Bobo. Investigators
Starting point is 00:11:08 had searched Zach's house and the nearby house of his grandpa, Dick Adams. They went through Zach Adams' house and they took over 500 items out of that house. They took all the material off of all the mattresses. They took giant chunks of carpeting out of that house. They took whole pieces of furniture, upholstered chairs, leather couches, all kinds of ottomans and pillows and blankets and shelving. They cut a hole in the floor that's as big as a car. They searched through Dick Adams' house. They seized four cars from the Adams family and went through all the cars. After they finished going through that whole house, they,
Starting point is 00:11:58 there's no DNA that matches Holly to the house. There are no fingerprints that match Holly to the house or to the cars. There's no hair from Holly that matches Holly to Mr. Adams' house. — She closed with a straightforward declaration. — All the evidence will show that Zach Adams is not guilty. — After opening statements, the prosecution called their first witnesses, Dana, Karen, and Clint Bobo.
Starting point is 00:12:33 Karen Bobo's testimony encapsulated all the emotions that had built up for years around the case. Prosecutor Jennifer Nichols asked Karen about the details of the morning Holly disappeared, like what Holly was wearing and their last interactions. And then she had Karen unzip Holly's lunch bag, the one that had been found during the search. Is that her lunch? Yes, ma'am. Next, the prosecutor had Karen identify Holly's purse, her keys, her wallet.
Starting point is 00:13:13 Karen sounded like she was holding back tears. And eventually, she turned to the judge and said, I just met a felon sitting. Let's take a break. said. Everyone in the courtroom stood up to see what was going on. The judge stood up, too, to maintain order. Karen had fallen to the floor. She was sobbing and had trouble catching her breath. — Oh!
Starting point is 00:13:47 — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh!
Starting point is 00:13:55 — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh!
Starting point is 00:14:03 — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! — Oh! Come here, Karen. Come here, baby. Everyone else, remain with me, please. I can't breathe. The judge said Karen suffered a panic attack that required medical attention. The defense was worried that Karen's distress would make it impossible for the jury to listen to her testimony objectively and asked for a new jury to be called. The judge did not agree. Once Karen had recovered, he asked the jury to come back in and ordered the trial to continue. After Karen Bobo's testimony, Clint Bobo was called to testify. He gave the account that had been so central to the investigation,
Starting point is 00:14:56 describing what he had heard and seen as Holly was kidnapped and what the man who took her looked like and sounded like. 5'10", 200 pounds, dark hair, gravelly voice. In the next couple of days, the prosecution called a range of other witnesses. A forensic pathologist testified that Holly was shot in the back of the head, likely at close range and likely by a.32 caliber bullet. The defense challenged this by asking the pathologist about some unknown variables in his analysis,
Starting point is 00:15:35 like how far away the person who shot Holly was from her and whether the bullet fractured before hitting her. In response, the pathologist said it was true that because of those factors, he could not know for certain the size of the bullet that killed Holly. Zach's ex-girlfriend also took the stand. She had previously verified Zach's alibi,
Starting point is 00:16:02 telling authorities that she was at his house the morning of Holly's kidnapping and he was sleeping. But she testified that she wasn't sure what he did that morning. She also testified that when she saw him the next day, he had scratches on his neck that she hadn't seen before. She said she did not ask Zach about them. When defense attorney Jennifer Thompson cross-examined her, she asked whether her statements in the case
Starting point is 00:16:34 had changed over time. Zach's ex-girlfriend said yes, and later admitted that she had previously told investigators she believed the scratches on Zach were from being chased by a police officer through the woods in an unrelated incident. Overall, a total of nine witnesses, including Zach's ex-girlfriend, testified that over the years, Zach, often while on drugs or in jail, made incriminating statements. By the prosecutor's count, at least 10 were shared in court. They include statements like, I couldn't have picked a prettier
Starting point is 00:17:18 ****. It sure was fun. If he doesn't keep his **** mouth shut, I'm going to plant him next to that. And I'll kill you like I did Holly Bobo." One person testified that Zach asked if God would ever forgive him. The first few days of the trial were all building towards the testimony of Jason Autry. He was about to take the stand and share what he claimed was an eyewitness account of Holly's murder. Get unlimited grocery delivery with PCX Press Pass Meal prep, delivered. Snacks, delivered. Fresh fruit, delivered. Grocery delivery on repeat for just $2.50 a month.
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Starting point is 00:19:11 begins June 5th on ABC. Hatsko Katsuko and her new original hilarious stand up special. Your daytime friends can't meet your nighttime friends, because then they'll know you're a liar. Father is coming to Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus June 13th. I asked my husband the other day how to turn on the washing machine, and that's how he realized that he had been doing the laundry all these years.
Starting point is 00:19:38 Otsuka Okotsuka, Father, streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus June 13th. Hello, it's Robin Roberts here. Hey guys, it's George Stephanopoulos here. Hey everybody, it's Michael Strahan here. Wake up with good morning America. Robin, George, Michael, GMA, America's favorite number one morning show. The morning's first breaking news, exclusive interviews,
Starting point is 00:20:00 what everyone will be talking about that day. Put some good in your morning and start your day with GMA. Good morning, America. Put the good in your morning. GMA 7A on ABC. This is the next phase in my therapeutic work. Nicole Kidman returns for the Hulu original, Nine Perfect Strangers, season two.
Starting point is 00:20:22 Breathe in. Breathe out. This is safe. We take you back to a core trauma. Breathe in. Breathe out. She is manipulating us. Breathe in.
Starting point is 00:20:34 Breathe out. Why are you resisting? Is it too late to get a refund? The all-new season of Nine Perfect Strangers is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu and Disney+. New episodes Wednesdays. Jason Autry entered the Hardin County courthouse wearing a white prison jumpsuit. He was now 44 and had gray hair, a gray beard,
Starting point is 00:21:02 and reading glasses with him. He was charged with the murder, kidnapping, and had gray hair, a gray beard, and reading glasses with him. He was charged with the murder, kidnapping, and rape of Holly Vovo. Jason's time on the stand would go on for nearly six hours. The weather had been warm during the whole trial, but on that particular day, it was hot. The high reached the mid-80s. The courtroom did not have air conditioning.
Starting point is 00:21:28 And as it got hotter and hotter, people were sweating and fanning themselves, trying to cool off. Most of Jason's testimony detailed everything he says he witnessed on April 13, 2011. Prosecutor Jennifer Nichols put Jason on the stand. Zach's defense attorney, Jennifer Thompson, cross-examined him. Jason said the morning of April 13, he wanted to buy morphine, so he called Shane Austin and Zach Adams. After 8 a.m., Zach called him back and said he needed Jason's help. He told Jason to meet him at Shane Austin's house.
Starting point is 00:22:11 Jason said he assumed Zach needed help cooking meth. Pulled into the driveway, I got out, Dylan was standing in the doorway with a shirt off. Shane was walking around saying, I need to help get the goddamn hell out of here. And hosted on his side was a firearm. Jason said he bought a morphine pill, got high, and then Zach told him. And he said, I need you to help me bury this body. Jason said Zach told him it was Holly Bobo's body.
Starting point is 00:22:52 The body was laying in a multicolored farm style blanket that looked like multiple colors, wrapped in the blanket, laying up against the back. From the moment you figured out that he wanted help with Collie versus help with the batch of meth, were you willing? Yes, I was. Jason testified that Zach drove the two of them to a spot under a bridge on the Tennessee River, not far from a boat marina, and backed his truck up to a pile of rocks. Jason said he and Zach then took Holly's body out of the car and put her on the rock pile. I see a foot movement, a movement, and the sound of distress come from the blanket.
Starting point is 00:23:52 At that time I walked to the passenger side door of the pickup, and Mr. Adams was digging in a fanny pack. I told him, I said, this f***ing s*** is still alive. Jason spoke slowly, but he moved a lot on the stand. He made big hand gestures and even tried to act out the scenes he was describing. The courtroom was captivated. I walked to the front of the truck, and I told Jack, I said, she's heard my name called and heard me talking and all. At that time, he wheels around, walks back to the driver's side pickup, out of the floorboard
Starting point is 00:24:51 of the pickup, he pulls a pistol, the same pistol that was hosted on Mr. Austin's side. And I said, whoa. Jason said he went to serve as lookout so Zach could shoot her. And I told him there was nothing coming close as clear or something to that effect. And at that time, boom. The gun went off. And it sounded like boom, boom, boom underneath that bridge. It was just one shot, but it echoed underneath that bridge all the way down that damn river bottom. And when that gun went off, birds went everywhere.
Starting point is 00:25:42 Just all up under that bridge. Jason testified it was silent at first, but then they heard a boat coming down the river, panicked, and put Holly back in the car. Jason said Zach dropped him off at his car, and then the two didn't meet again until the afternoon. He said Zach later told him that he, his brother, and Shane Austin had kidnapped and raped Holly,
Starting point is 00:26:14 and that Zach had disposed of her body. Jason Autry's hours on the stand were full of colorful, shocking details. When Jennifer Thompson cross-examined Jason, she questioned his credibility. She asked him about his past statements denying he had anything to do with Holly's kidnapping and murder. You said, no sir, right hand before God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I did not bother that girl in no form or no fashion. Didn't you?
Starting point is 00:26:58 And that's a fact. And you were asked, do you know who did? You said, no, sir. That's a lie. But didn't you say that? That's correct. Thompson pointed out that at the time Autry says the murder happened, he was on phone calls with his girlfriend and also his mother.
Starting point is 00:27:24 In the middle of all this, you were able to take a telephone call from your mother, Shirley King, that morning at 942, weren't you? If your records reflect that, that's true. Thompson also asked Jason if he was benefiting from testifying, possibly getting a reduction in his sentence for a federal gun charge. Are you familiar with the fact that if you testify in a beneficial way to the state,
Starting point is 00:27:56 that they could make a request that your federal sentence be reduced? I don't know. You'd have to ask my attorney that. So you're testifying here today, you're telling the jury today that you have absolutely no knowledge that what you do here might affect the federal Senate that you have to serve of 100 months. I have immunity with the federal government other than that there's no deal. Plain and simple. Right, but there's a potential deal.
Starting point is 00:28:28 It remains out there. You're saying that, not me. She also emphasized that if Zach was guilty, Jason was not some innocent bystander. When you thought that she had heard your name, you knew Zach Adams, according to your story, was getting ready to shoot her. You never said stop, don't do it, did you?
Starting point is 00:28:50 That's correct. You said, wait a minute, let me make sure nobody's coming. That's correct. So you did something to help him kill her, according to your story, didn't you? I did, and I have lots of remorse over that. Jason's time on the stand went into the evening hours, and when the cross-examination was over, the judge dismissed everyone for the day. The prosecution's star witness had spoken, but there were still many days of testimony
Starting point is 00:29:24 left. Key pieces of the investigation came up and key names testified. To try to answer a big question in the case, prosecutors showed the jury the alleged murder weapon, a.32 caliber revolver that witnesses claimed was owned by Zach Adams' friend, Shane Austin. It was recovered in a drainage ditch just months before the trial. The prosecution and defense each called a cell phone expert to explain what the troves of phone data did and did not show. Both experts agreed that Adams and the other suspects' phones did not hit cell towers
Starting point is 00:30:11 near the Bobo home at the time Holly was taken. The prosecution experts said it was possible Holly and Zach Adams' phones were in the same general locations later that morning, But the defense expert disagreed. The prosecution also called to the stand convicted sex offender Terry Britt, who was in prison for kidnapping and attempted rape. Prosecutor Jennifer Nichols tried once and for all to show he was not the man behind Holly's kidnapping and murder. Remember, Terry Britt said he had an alibi, and the investigation into him did not find evidence
Starting point is 00:30:50 linking him to Holly. Did you kidnap, rape, murder Holly Bobo? No, I didn't. I didn't know a girl. Never seen her in my life that I didn't. I didn't know a girl. Never seen her in my life that I know of. Terry Britt was asked about the thorough investigation into his life, including the wire tapping of his home and how former TBI agent Terry Dykes wanted to pursue him as a suspect. His testimony got quite heated. But Dykes were so fixated on me, I guess. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:31:28 Do you know whether the doctors are still a TV agent? No, he lost his job. I wish he'd get on food stamps. I object, Your Honor, to him saying he lost his job. That's not... He almost destroyed my life. Terry Britt left the stand, not a free man, but never charged in the Holly Bobo case. There are always lots of law enforcement witnesses during a criminal trial, but there was something unusual about this trial. Six current and former law enforcement witnesses were called by the defense, not the prosecution. One of those six witnesses, Terry Dykes, the former TBI agent Britt criticized on the stand, testified just after Britt.
Starting point is 00:32:18 Jennifer Thompson asked Dykes why he was so focused on Terry Britt during his time on the investigation. Have a seat. Terry Britt is a registered sex offender, a violent sex offender. He lives in Northern Decatur County. He has black hair. He weighs 200 pounds and he's six foot tall. He is the exact size of what our witness said the abductor looked like. Dykes said no one in the so-called A train matched Clint Bobo's description of Holly's abductor. On cross-examination, prosecutor Paul Hagerman asked Dicus about that conclusion and whether Shane Austin
Starting point is 00:33:10 could have fit the description. — Clint Bobo testified the same body shape in everything as Shane Austin. That's a surprise. — Well, Clint's a very honest young man. I would, if he says that I believe him. But you're forgetting part of it.
Starting point is 00:33:32 Because the body type also goes with the hair. And Shane Austin had reddish, blondish hair. And Clint said he had black hair. Shoulder length black hair. Hagerman reminded the jury that Dicus had been removed from the case because of what his supervisor called his lack of objectivity and his tunnel vision on one suspect, Terry Britt, who was eventually cleared by TBI of having anything to do with Holly's kidnapping and murder. Dykes admitted on the stand that he did not know what evidence investigators gathered against Zach Adams and the others after he was removed from the case. Your testimony has been almost a trick into the past, into the first two or three years of this investigation.
Starting point is 00:34:28 But you can't tell us anything about the three and four years after that. You're right. I don't know what y'all have done since then. Aside from Jason Autry's testimony, there were no big surprises, no smoking guns. But the prosecution argued they had presented all the evidence they needed to show Zach Adams was Holly's killer.
Starting point is 00:34:52 And neither the defendant, Zach Adams, nor his younger brother, Dylan Adams, ended up taking the stand. The trial lasted 14 days and included dozens of witnesses and hundreds of exhibits. When both sides rested their cases, the jury went off to deliberate. It took them 11 hours over two days to reach a verdict. If you like what the jury does, that's fine. Keep it to yourself. This isn't a time to cheer like we do for a football team or something. verdict. For each count, the judge read the jury's verdict. Checked guilty of first degree premeditated murder of Pauline Bobo. Is that correct, sir? And then one by one confirmed it with each juror. Number one, is that your verdict?
Starting point is 00:35:52 Yes. Number two. Yes. There was no big reveal like in TV shows or movies, no booming announcement like guilty of all charges. Instead, the verdict arrived one bit at a time over the course of around five minutes. And by the end of those five minutes, everyone in the courtroom knew that Zach Adams had been found guilty of all charges.
Starting point is 00:36:33 Zach stayed still and stoic as the verdict was slowly announced. Jennifer Thompson had told him that was his best bet. Because I reminded him this jury's going to decide tomorrow whether he lives or dies. And that it was really important that he be quiet and respectful. I could tell he was trembling and he went white, but I think he took it like a champ sitting there and gave the reaction I'd hoped for him. She gave a press conference after the verdict. That we just cannot help but be just heartbrokenly disappointed in the verdict in this case. We knew going in it was going to be a very hard case to win because you have this beautiful
Starting point is 00:37:15 young woman who had been taken from her home. And those facts balanced against my client who had had a tough, kind of a tough background. He had been involved in drugs. He'd been a drug addict. I'm concerned that the jury might go for death. Mark Gwynn, the head of TBI at the time, also commented. I just think it's a good day for justice in the state of Tennessee. I hate that it took six and a half years to bring it, but at the end of the day, it's about justice being served. So thank you.
Starting point is 00:37:53 The Bobo family told us in 2017 they believe Zach Adams is responsible for their daughter's murder and that Jason Autry's testimony rang true to them. Before the sentencing hearing, the prosecution and defense came to an agreement. Instead of putting the death penalty on the table for the jury to decide, Zach would get life in prison without the possibility of parole plus another 50 years. The Bobo family had agreed to this ahead of time. And in court, the judge asked Zach if he had consented to the agreement freely
Starting point is 00:38:31 and voluntarily. And he said yes. So the judge signed off on it too, and then brought the jury in to explain that they would not need to spend the day weighing whether Zach Adams should get the death penalty. But he didn't dismiss them yet. Part of the sentencing agreement was that Karen Bobo
Starting point is 00:38:53 would still deliver her prepared victim impact statement, even though the sentence had already been decided. So she took the stand and looked at the jury as she spoke. I've had to watch my parents. And there was supposed to be called golden years. Me so sad every day. Not a morning. Since this has happened.
Starting point is 00:39:28 morning since this has happened have we not woken up with Holly being the first thing on her mind when we wake up and the last thing on her mind when we go to sleep. Last night I saw my husband smile for the first time in six and a half years. First of all, I would like for you to know that this decision that was made this morning had absolutely nothing to do with that animal. It had to do with the future of our family. If there can ever be any more joy in our family, to maybe give us an opportunity to find at
Starting point is 00:40:31 least a little joy. Karen turned away from the jury and towards where Zach Adams was sitting. She had taught Zach in the fourth grade, and she sounded a bit like a teacher as she addressed him. But I would like for Mr. Adams to look at me when I speak to him. I know that my daughter fought and fought hard for her life. Can you back up just a little bit so he can look at me? And I know that she begged for her life because my daughter loved and enjoyed life. But you chose to take that from her.
Starting point is 00:41:33 And you have shown absolutely, look at me please, you have shown absolutely no remorse for anything that you have done. When Karen Bobo left the stand, the judge thanked the jury and dismissed them. Zach Adams' case was over. But two more people were still waiting for their day in court. In the months to come, Zach's younger brother, Dylan Adams, entered an Alford plea
Starting point is 00:42:04 to facilitating murder and especially aggravated kidnapping, which means he acknowledged there was evidence against him but maintained his innocence. He received a 35-year prison sentence. And years later, Jason Autry pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping.
Starting point is 00:42:26 And with credit for time served, he was set free. The case was finally over. But in 2024, more than a decade after Holly was kidnapped and murdered, seven years after Zach Adams' guilty verdict, it was put back in the spotlight. Just months after being released from prison in the Holly Bobo case, Jason Autry was arrested on federal firearms charges. He pleaded guilty. And while in jail, waiting for his sentencing, he changed his story about the day
Starting point is 00:43:08 Holly was kidnapped and murdered again. That's the worst I've ever felt in my life coming back, knowing that you just lied and put in some man in prison. And Zach Adams, who had chosen not to testify during his trial, was ready to talk. Did you kill Holly Bobo? Absolutely not. That's on the next and final episode of What Happened to Holly Bobo is a production of ABC Audio in 2020. Hosted by me, Eva Pilgrim, the series was produced by Camille Peterson, Julia Nutter,
Starting point is 00:43:54 Kiara Powell, Nora Hannah, and Meg Fierro, with help from Audrey Mostek and Amira Williams. Our supervising producer is Suzy Lu, music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Liz Alessi, Janis Johnston, Michelle Margules, Sean Dooley, Christina Corbin, Kieran McGurl, Andrew Paparella, and Emma Pescia. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. Laura Mayer is our executive producer. Hi, I'm Brad Milke. I'm the host of the Crime Scene Weekly, a new show from ABC Audio about the latest headlines in true crime. This week, I'm talking about a major
Starting point is 00:44:33 development in the Murdoch murder trial, the allegations that a court clerk lied on the stand. Could this mean a retrial for Alec Murdoch? Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts. GMA, America's favorite number one morning show. The morning's first breaking news, exclusive interviews, what everyone will be talking about that day. Put some good in your morning and start your day with GMA. Good morning America! Put the good in your morning. GMA 7A on ABC.

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