HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. (Scripps News Nashville/Court TV) — Stunning new details have come to light in the murder of Holly Bobo case — a case many thought was closed.
Zach Adams was convicted of murdering the 20-year-old who disappeared from her family’s Darden, Tenn. home in 2011, but new developments have called his conviction into question.
Holly Bobo (Scripps News Nashville)
A new petition filed in court outlines shocking claims from a key witness at Adam’s 2017 trial, co-defendant Jason Autry, who said his testimony had been pure fiction.
Seven years ago, a jury convicted Adams for the murder of Bobo, a nursing student. There was no physical evidence or DNA linking Adams to the crime. The prosecution’s star witness had made a plea deal with the State to testify against Adams.
At Adam’s trial, Autry testified:
Autry: He said I need help burying the body.
Prosecutor: What was your plan of disposing of Holly’s body?
Autry: “Gut her.”
Autry shocked the courtroom with the gruesome details, saying, “I grabbed the upper torso of Ms. Bobo’s body. Zach left the tailgate down. I brought the torso to the tailgate, where he grabbed the legs.”
Jason Autry (Scripps News Nashville)
Ultimately, the jury believed him and sentenced Adams to life. Autry got eight years for his confessed role.
“It’s a very big deal. But not common because most lawyers can’t find new evidence in a case of this magnitude,” said legal analyst David Raybin.
The new evidence spelled out in the petition filed by Adams’ appellate lawyer, where Autry recants his testimony.
“He admitted to concocting the entire story in his cell at jail while reviewing discovery. We put it together in three days.”
Autry’s credibility had already been questioned after an exclusive interview with Scripps News Nashville before the trial, when Autry denied any involvement or having any information about who killed Holly.
Autry: “Right hand before God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,” Autry said. “I didn’t bother that girl in no form or no fashion.”
Scripps News Nashville: Do you know who did?
Autry: “No, sir.”
Autry changed his story shortly after on the witness stand.
A hearing is expected to be held in the same court where the petition was filed, where witnesses could be called. It will be up to a judge to determine whether Adams gets a new trial.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Nashville, an E.W. Scripps Company.
