Prosecutor: Accused told friend he kidnapped, raped Holly Bobo
SAVANNAH, Tenn. — The trial of one of the men charged with the 2011 murder, rape and kidnapping of Holly Bobo, a 20-year-old nursing student in Tennessee, began Monday with the testimony of the young woman's father.
Dana Bobo was at work when he got a call that his daughter had been kidnapped.
"Holly's been taken," Bobo said, remembering a call he received.
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Bobo was the first witness called in the trial of Zachary Rye Adams, 33, one of three men charged in Bobo's death and disappearance.
Holly Bobo was reported missing April 13, 2011.
In opening statements Monday, assistant Shelby County (Tenn.) District Attorney Paul Hagerman said evidence and testimony will show that Zachary Adams told Jason Autry that he, Shayne Austin, and John Dylan Adams had kidnapped and raped Bobo. Austin was found dead in 2015
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"Jason sees a blanket in the bed of Zach's truck. There’s a body in the blanket," Hagerman said in opening statements.
Hagerman said Autry, who has been offered immunity to testify, will tell the jury that he asked Adams, "how did this (expletive) get in your truck?" and that Adams told him the three had abducted her.
Hagerman said Autry became "the leader" that morning, and when they went to throw Bobo's body in the Tennessee River, Bobo moved and made a noise. Hagerman said in opening statements that Adams then got a gun, and shot Bobo in the head.
Adams' defense attorney Jennifer Thompson said the investigation spanned years, and that police interviewed dozens of people in the case.
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"It's kind of like drinking from a fire hose," she said. "You’ll hear testimony that basically the police were called within minutes."
Through the years, police "basically interviewed every person in Decatur County," Thompson said.
She told jurors that police talked to Victor Dinsmore, another man who has been offered immunity to testify in the trial.
"He said, if you want to get anywhere with this case, you need to talk to Zach Adams’ brother," Thompson said.
Thompson told the jury that Adams is not guilty of all the charges against him, and that he did not abduct, rape, or kill Bobo.
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Bobo's boyfriend, Drew Scott, also testified before recess Monday morning.
Adams is facing charges of felony first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape in Bobo's death and abduction. If convicted, Adams could receive the death penalty.
The 20-year-old nursing student was last seen on April 13, 2011, at her home in Darden, Tenn., about 103 miles southwest of Nashville.
Her skull was found three years later, in September 2014, in northern Decatur County.
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Maranda Faris on Twitter: @MarandaFaris
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