What Happened To Holly Bobo? 5 Witnesses In Murder Trial Granted Immunity
As the trial for those accused of murdering Tennessee nursing student Holly Bobo was set to begin, five witnesses were granted federal or state immunity in the case. Nineteen-year-old Bobo disappeared from West Tennessee in 2011. Her body was found three years later.
Zachary Adams and two other men were accused of raping and killing the young woman. Victor Dinsmore, Michael Alexander, Jason Kilzer, Shayne Austin and Jason Wayne Autry were all granted some form of immunity, according to court records reviewed by WHBQ-TV Thursday.
Read: New Evidence In Holly Bobo Murder Trial Forces Delay
Autry was allegedly Zachary Adams’ accomplice in the murder, according to investigators. The third man charged was Zachary’s brother, Dylan Adams. Autry was given federal immunity and agreed to a deal with prosecutors so that his sentence might be reduced after testifying against Adams.
The state, however, said it did not grant Autry immunity.
“The state does not have an immunity agreement with Mr. Autry,” said prosecutor Jennifer Nichols, according to WHBQ. “The state and counsel for Mr. Autry agreed to discuss reduced charges against Mr. Autry after the trial against [Adams] and Mr. Autry’s truthful testimony.”
Austin, one of the other men granted immunity, committed suicide in 2015. Before then, he was a person of interest in the case.
The long-awaited trial was scheduled to begin next week, though the judge in the case delayed it until September on the grounds that new evidence had emerged. The recently discovered evidence was said to be a gun found sometime over Memorial Day weekend. Adams’ defense team argued they needed extra time to analyze the gun and the location where it was found. Judge C. Creed McGinley granted the continuation Thursday.
“I want to try this case professionally and correctly,” he said before sending jurors home.
Bobo, a nursing student, disappeared in 2011. She was seen for the last time by her brother, who witnessed Bobo going into the woods near their home in West Tennessee with a man wearing head to toe camouflage. Her brother said he initially thought the man was her boyfriend and it wasn’t until the two were out of sight that he realized something was amiss.
The young woman’s remains weren’t located for another three years when investigators found a human skull near Adams’ home. Authorities were able to use dental records to identify the skull as Bobos.
Adams was arrested and charged in March 2014 with especially aggravated kidnapping and first-degree felony murder. His brother and Autry were also charged and all three pleaded not guilty. Forensic testing in the case remained sealed, although Adams’ attorneys said there was no DNA linking him to Bobo’s death, according to WTVF.
The rescheduled trial was set to begin September 9. McGinley said he thought it would take no longer than two weeks.
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