What to know about new developments in the Bobo murder case
SAVANNAH, Tenn. — In the weeks before Zachary Adams was set to go to trial in the 2011 slaying of Holly Bobo, attorneys said, a gun they believe was used to kill the 20-year-old Decatur County native was found.
Attorneys have requested a change of venue, claiming Adams could not get a fair trial in Hardin County, just over the Tennessee River from where the case began.
Jason Autry received immunity, and court documents say prosecutors plan to use him as a witness to testify against Adams in September.
Here are several things to know about the case, the new motions and what to expect when attorneys return to court on Aug. 9.
‘A CRITICAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE’
Court documents filed by defense attorneys for Zachary Adams say the gun that was found is an Arminius model HW5 .32caliber revolver. Records show prosecutors notified Adams’ attorneys on May 26 the gun had been recovered. A motion has been filed
by the defense to have the gun excluded from evidence and request that no witnesses be allowed to mention the gun.
When the motion was filed on July 3, attorneys said they had received two reports from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Neither of those reports indicate any relevance to the Adams trial, where the gun was found or who found the gun, according to attorneys.
Court documents say prosecutors have referred to the revolver as “a critical piece of evidence.”
The gun was the basis of a request by attorney Jennifer Thompson during a hearing June 23 to have the trial reset. Judge C. Creed McGinley denied that request, telling Thompson he intended to have the trial remain a priority and to continue as scheduled.
During jury selection on July 6, McGinley granted the request to have the trial continued to September in order to give Adams’ attorneys more time as a result of the gun’s discovery.
AUTRY’S IMMUNITY AND TESTIMONY
Jason Autry, a co-defendant in Bobo’s death, was offered immunity along with five others. Autry was offered federal immunity, according to court documents, and has the possibility of receiving reduced charges.
Those reduced charges would be based on his honest testimony during Adams’ scheduled trial and his willingness to cooperate with prosecutors.
Autry is facing similar charges of rape, kidnapping and murder, along with Zachary Adams and Adams’ brother, John Dylan Adams.
In a response filed by prosecutors on July 5, they say Autry is expected to testify against Zachary Adams about statements he made about the abduction, rape and death of Holly Bobo. Court documents also say it’s possible that John Dylan Adams could be called as a witness, but the state has not made a decision.
IMMUNITY AGREEMENTS
Autry is one of four people who have received immunity agreements for their testimony with the state. Those four are:
› Jason Autry, who will receive federal immunity and the possibility of reduced charges
› Victor Dinsmore, who will receive both state and federal immunity
› Michael Alexander, who will receive state immunity
› Jason Kilzer Kilzer’s immunity notice does not show if he will receive state or federal immunity, or both. His notice does say the immunity agreement notice for Autry was turned over to the defense, and after Adams’ trial and Autry’s testimony, prosecutors would discuss the possibility of reduced charges.
Autry’s attorneys told McGinley in March he would not need a trial date, though at the time of that hearing attorneys did not confirm why the trial date would not be necessary.
CHANGE OF VENUE
In another motion filed June 3, defense attorneys for Zachary Adams have requested a second change of venue.
Attorneys said that “as a result of massive publicity,” Adams could not receive a fair trial in Hardin County and “many potential jurors in Hardin County sincerely believe that Zachary Adams is guilty of the alleged offense.”
The motion says more than one-third of the current prospective jurors had received or seen information about the case, and more than one-third had gotten information on the case from social media or on the internet.
The motion also says more than half of the prospective jurors had had discussions about the case with family or friends, and some had had conversations with relatives of both Bobo and the defendants.
“Almost all of the qualified jurors, 91.7 percent, heard or discussed the case. Nearly three-quarters of the panel, 73.1 percent, of those who have heard about the case heard from multiple sources,” the motion says.
“If ever a case existed where there is a ‘reasonable likelihood’ that prejudice will prevent a fair trial, this is the case,” the motion says.
Adams’ trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 11, with motions set to be heard Aug. 9 in Savannah.