Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: "NURSING STUDENT HOLLY BOBO GOES INTO THE WOODS AND VANISHES: KILLER WANTS NEW TRIAL"
Release Date: December 20, 2025
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests: Shane Dieter, Dave Mack, Dr. Angela Arnold, Dr. Kendall Crowns, Ben Powers, Todd Shipley

Episode Overview

This gripping episode centers on the abduction and murder of Holly Bobo, a 20-year-old nursing student from Tennessee, and the shocking possibility that her convicted killer, Zach Adams, could walk free due to new trial developments. Nancy Grace and an expert panel meticulously analyze the timeline of Holly's disappearance, discuss investigative missteps, family anguish, confessions, key evidence, and the ongoing legal battle for justice. The conversation oscillates between emotional testimony, criminal investigation, and courtroom drama, maintaining Nancy Grace’s signature urgent and relentless tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Day Holly Bobo Disappeared

• Initial 911 Call & Mother's Agony ([03:19]–[04:25])
  • Nancy plays portions of the frantic 911 call from Holly’s mother, Karen, who was at work when notified about Holly’s abduction.
  • Notable quote: “You are hearing the heartbroken mother of Holly Bobo begging, begging for law enforcement to go immediately to her home.” – Nancy Grace [03:42]
  • Emotional analysis by Dr. Angela Arnold, emphasizing the mother’s helplessness.
• Clint Bobo's (Holly's brother) Critical Misjudgment ([05:55]–[09:08])
  • Clint sees Holly with a man in camouflage and assumes it’s her boyfriend, Drew Scott, because Drew is known to go hunting.
  • Clint’s hesitation is a key regret; he doesn’t recognize the danger.
  • Quote: “This one critical mistake may have cost Holly her life.” – Nancy Grace [08:45]

2. Timeline Reconstruction & Physical Evidence

• Detailed Timeline ([06:20], [21:18])
  • Holly wakes early to study, last text at 7:42am, seen at carport at 7:43am.
  • Drew is turkey hunting 30 minutes away with his father.
• Discovery of Blood & Scattered Belongings ([12:14]–[20:32])
  • Clint finds blood stains in the garage, proven to be Holly’s.
  • Holly’s items (lunch, schoolwork, cell phone) found scattered along rural roads, suggesting they were pitched out a car window post-abduction.
  • Ben Powers, criminal defense attorney, argues that "something grave" must have happened by the time belongings are dumped.
  • Quote: “It basically creates a trail of breadcrumbs in the direction that they went to help hone in the investigation.” – Ben Powers [20:32]

3. The Suspects: "The A Train"

• Identification of Main Suspects ([21:44]–[22:50])
  • The “A Train”: Zach Adams, Shane Austin, Jason Autry, and John Dillon Adams.
  • Community rumors swirl, with Holly’s mother directly confronting known suspects whom she had taught in school.
• Community Confrontation ([26:34]–[29:02])
  • Karen Bobo’s courageous face-to-face with the suspects.
  • Dr. Arnold and Shane Dieter both praise Karen’s bravery (“She’s got balls the size of coconuts.” – Nancy Grace [27:32]).
  • The suspects laugh off her accusations.

4. The Break in the Case: Confessions and Flawed Witnesses

• Breakthrough via Dylan Adams’ Confession ([30:15]–[32:18])
  • Dylan Adams, arrested on an unrelated weapons charge, describes seeing Holly restrained at Zach’s house.
  • He reports details down to clothing and implicates his brother.
  • Defense and prosecution struggle with the reliability of jailhouse informant testimony and matching forensic evidence.
  • Autry agrees to testify in exchange for a deal, further unraveling the conspiracy.
• Testimony Details & Recantations ([37:25]–[46:09])
  • Jason Autry describes Holly as alive in the truck before being shot; chillingly detached.
    • Quote (Jason Autry): “I see the foot move … the sound of distress … this [expletive] is still alive.” ([37:25], [39:07])
  • Autry’s account includes the manner of Holly's death: shot in the back of the head under a bridge, details matching later-discovered remains.
  • Panel scrutinizes the veracity of confessions and Autry’s sudden recantation, which now risks the conviction.
  • Quote: “Now we have a problem. We've got John Dillon Adams confessing, Autry testifying … but it's still a no-body case. How hard is it to prove a no-body case?” – Nancy Grace [41:06]

5. Discovery of Holly’s Remains & Forensic Confirmation

• Remains Discovery ([43:07]–[44:49])
  • Ginseng hunters find Holly’s skull under a bucket, 20 miles from her home, with a bullet hole matching Autry’s story.
  • Dr. Kendall Crowns explains possible animal scattering of bones and confirms single execution-style gunshot from the forensics.
  • Quote: “[The skull] had an entrance wound in the back right side of the head and an exit wound on the left side of the facial bones or of the cheek ... she was kind of executed by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.” – Dr. Crowns [43:52]

6. The Prosecution, Plea Deals, and Ongoing Legal Drama

• The Trials and Deals ([44:49]–[48:49])

  • Of the A Train, only Zach Adams goes to trial. Autry is star witness; John Dillon Adams and Autry take plea deals, one suspect commits suicide.
  • Holly’s discarded receipt is found just 75ft from a suspect’s driveway, further linking the group to the crime scene.
  • Quote: “The fascinating part... these men were familiar so much with the area … 75ft from Shane Austin's front door, that's where they found a receipt with Holly Bobo's name on it.” – Dave Mack [47:49]

• Current Legal Twist: Bid for a New Trial ([49:40]–[51:42])

  • Zach Adams’ attorney now claims she was ineffective, suffering depression and logistical overload at trial. Allegations that testimony was crafted and the legal defense was overwhelmed.
  • Judge considering whether Adams should get a new trial. A written ruling is expected within 60 days of the upcoming hearing ([50:07]–[51:42]).
  • Nancy closes with a cliffhanger: “We wait as justice unfolds…”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Family Anguish:
  • “The pain in the mother's voice is almost unbearable. It's excruciating to hear it.” – Nancy Grace [04:25]
• Critical Misjudgment:
  • “He could not have known who the perp is.” – Nancy Grace citing Todd Shipley’s analysis on “woulda, coulda, shoulda” in crime cases. [15:23]
• Law Enforcement Frustration:
  • Ben Powers: “They're probably not the first choice for the state on who they'd put on the stand because I'm sure they have a lot of character flaws … possible drug abuse histories…” [42:05]
• Callousness of the Perpetrators:
  • “He sees her foot move, he hears her sigh and he says this [expletive] is still alive.” – Nancy Grace [39:07]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:19–04:25 | Emotional 911 call from Karen Bobo | | 05:55–09:08 | Clint’s crucial misjudgment and its implications | | 12:14–13:32 | Discovery of blood evidence in the garage | | 17:32–20:32 | Blood evidence and scattered belongings analyzed | | 21:44–22:50 | Identification of “A Train” suspects | | 26:34–29:02 | Karen Bobo’s confrontation with suspects | | 30:15–32:18 | Dylan Adams' confession breaks the case | | 37:25–39:07 | Jason Autry's chilling testimony about Holly's murder | | 43:07–44:49 | Discovery of Holly's remains and forensic confirmation | | 49:40–51:42 | Legal bid for a new trial; defense claims attorney ineffectiveness |

Summary & Listener Value

This episode delves into the traumatizing saga of Holly Bobo’s disappearance, the missteps and minute-by-minute trauma experienced by her family, and the painstaking process by which a rural crime was solved, only to be thrown into uncertainty again. The panel balances emotional impact with forensic and legal complexity. Notably, the discussion critiques investigation errors, explores the dangers of unreliable testimony, and underlines the heart and resolve of Holly’s mother. The final segment underscores the fragility of “justice” in American courts, leaving the listener anxious for the next legal episode in this deeply tragic case.

For listeners:
If you’ve never heard this story, this episode provides a comprehensive yet heart-wrenching account of the Holly Bobo case—combining emotional family insight, meticulous investigative detail, and the ongoing pursuit of justice.