Who Killed Holly Bobo? Zach Adams filed request for new trial after latest development

Back in 2011, the murder of Holly Bobo, a 20-year-old nursing student from Tennessee, captured the nation’s conscience. Holly Bobo, a nursing student who hoped to become a doctor one day, lived in suburban Decatur County and was abducted from her home on the evening of April 13, 2011

The sudden absence led to a considerable hue and cry in the community, with multiple search parties being dispatched in her name. However, a months-long search expedition and investigation by the authorities ended in failure. It was only in September 2014 that the dead body was found. With no DNA evidence on offer, it led to a lengthy investigation which concluded in the one arrest of Zach Adams, who was for years believed to be the perpetrator.

However, recent evidence, which is the result of multiple petitions, led to the release of various court documents which reveal that the key witness/accomplice in the case, Jason Autry, had actually refuted his earlier story, and claimed that he made it up in order to avoid spending his life in prison.

This development has led the convict, Zach Adams, who is currently serving life in prison, to request a new trial. Whether it remains to be seen if he will succeed, the following article attempts to answer the titular question. The case in itself was also delved into the 2018 movie, Who Killed Holly Bobo?

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What happened to Holly Bobo?

For years, mainstream media had been satisfied with the findings with respect to the case, with Zach Adams’ friend and accomplice revealing a range of details during his testimony. Autry had claimed that the two had entered Holly Bobo’s house on the evening of April 12 and proceeded to s**ually assault and r**e for hours.

The duo eventually took her under a bridge, where Autry claimed Zach Adams asked him to be on the ‘lookout.’ Adams then proceeded to shoot Holly Bobo, after which the two jointly disposed of the body. However, not a single shred of DNA evidence was found against Zach Adams, and his conviction itself was largely based on his accomplice’s testimony.

As court documents have revealed, Autry recanted his testimony during the trial itself, and claimed that the only reason he gave it was that he wanted to avoid life imprisonment. Of course, Autry was himself facing a range of charges including kidnapping and solicitation to commit murder, and received an 8-year sentence.

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New development in Holly Bobo case

Now however, it has emerged that Autry was told by his lawyer to lie, and ended up reconstructing the story to save himself from the major charge of murder. While he was successful in doing so, the recantation of the testimony as well as the fact that no DNA evidence linked Zach Adams to Holly Bobo’s dead body means that there is considerable question mark over whether the right man was convicted.

Of course, there is little doubt that both Adams and Autry were involved in the murder and the crimes committed in the build-up, and are responsible for her death. However, while it was Zach Adams who was seen as the actual murderer, recent evidence has put doubt over the decision.

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Hence, while there is already a man serving a sentence for the murder of Holly Bobo in the form of Zach Adams, recent evidence suggests that Adams might not be the only one equally responsible. It remains to be seen how the case further develops in the coming time, which may shed more light on the actual perpetrator, between the two.