SAVANNAH, Tenn. (Court TV) — The final phase of a post-conviction hearing for a man convicted of killing nursing student Holly Bobo ended Monday in Hardin County Circuit Court.
Zachary Adams is seeking a new trial after a jury in 2017 convicted him of first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping and aggravated rape in the April 13, 2011, killing of Bobo.
Zachary Adams, who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing Holly Bobo takes the stand and says ‘I never admitted to killing Holly Bobo.’ Adams seeks a new trial after Jason Autry, who testified in Adams’ trial recanted his testimony. (Court TV)
The state’s case against Adams was built largely on the testimony of co-defendant Jason Autry, supplemented by other circumstantial evidence. Investigators found no DNA or fingerprints linking Adams to the crime. Of the other men implicated, Autry received time served for his testimony but is now in federal prison on unrelated charges; Zachary Adams’ brother, Dylan Adams, entered an Alford plea in January 2018 and is serving a 35-year sentence; Shayne Austin died in 2015 before trial.
At the end of Monday’s proceedings, the judge said a ruling could take as long as 90 days.
Terry Dicus, the TBI’s original lead investigator on the Bobo case, previously testified that he cleared Adams, Autry and Austin early in the investigation based on initial alibi checks and cellphone data that did not place the men with Bobo. He said his investigation pointed toward another man, Terry Britt, who he believed matched the eyewitness description. Dicus was later removed from the case for what his supervisors described as a loss of objectivity.
Recordings played in court included TBI Agent Brent Booth telling witness Victor Dinsmore what Autry was “gonna testify to,” and private investigator Dennis Benjamin telling Dinsmore, “They got eight charges on you right now … three of them have the chance for the death penalty. If you can’t give us Holly’s body, then you’re basically f****d.” Adams’s attorneys argue these recordings show witnesses were coached and pressured.
The hearing has featured conflicting testimony about the quality of Adams’ legal representation. Former lead prosecutor, now-Judge Jennifer Nichols, testified Thompson was an “effective” attorney who “knew this case better than any person involved.” Adams’ lead trial attorney, Jennifer Thompson, testified she was unprepared, was experiencing depression and felt “overwhelmed” at the 2017 trial. She acknowledged that she did not present certain impeachment recordings and alibi material.
Holly Lynn Bobo disappeared on April 13, 2011, from her family home in Darden, Tennessee. Zachary Adams was convicted in 2017 of kidnapping, raping and killing Bobo and sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)
Adams, who did not testify at his original trial, testified that an ATM video from Parsons, Tennessee, showing a truck at 11:12 a.m. on the day of the abduction supports his alibi. Thompson called the footage a “partial alibi” that she failed to present to the jury. The defense argues the video was mislabeled in discovery, but Judge J. Brent Bradberry has ruled that no one is recognizable in the footage.
The state is scheduled to call witnesses on Monday. The hearing, including closing arguments, is expected to conclude by Tuesday evening. Under Tennessee law, Bradberry has 60 days from the close of the hearing to issue a written ruling.
This story was generated with the assistance of AI using information gathered and verified by a human journalist. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy before publication.
