Holly Bobo: The Man in Camouflage // 599

Summary

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Going West: True Crime — Holly Bobo: The Man in Camouflage // Episode 599

Published April 14, 2026 | Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman (aka Heath)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores one of Tennessee’s most infamous and disturbing murder cases—the disappearance of 20-year-old Holly Bobo in 2011. The hosts, Daphne and Heath, unpack the complex, controversial investigation, various suspects, the tangled eventual convictions, lingering doubts, and the sorrowful aftermath. The episode weaves Holly's background, her abduction, the maze of suspects (including the infamous "A-Train"), and the evolving legacy of the case.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Holly Bobo: The Person and the Disappearance

• Background ([03:52])

  • Holly was a 20-year-old nursing student from Darden, Tennessee, beloved for her kindness and close ties to her family and community.
  • She attended the University of Tennessee at Martin, living at home with her parents, Karen and Dana, and brother, Clint.
  • Popular and accomplished in high school: “Most favorite, most talented, most beautiful,” plus the “Titus Drive Award” for her Ford Mustang ([05:56]).

• Day of the Disappearance – April 13, 2011 ([07:04]-[16:23])

  • Early morning: Holly is up studying; parents leave for work. Holly communicates with friends and boyfriend, Drew.
  • Neighbor hears a scream and later calls Karen at work ([07:45]).
  • Clint, woken by the barking dog, sees Holly kneeling before a man in camouflage in their carport; he initially assumes it’s her boyfriend, Drew, planning a hunting trip ([09:22]).
    • Notable Quote: "I knew it was Holly. I never saw my sister's face. And I also never saw his face." —Clint ([09:22])
  • Karen, alarmed, tells Clint: "That's not Drew. Shoot him." ([12:32])
    • Chilling Moment: Karen's urgency, “Shoot him,” reflecting her intuition that Holly was in serious danger.
  • Clint sees Holly walking into the woods with the man, seemingly unharmed. Realization of the abduction sets in when he discovers blood by her car ([16:23]).

The Immediate Aftermath and Messy Investigation

• Initial Response ([17:17]–[18:39])

  • Massive law enforcement response, but confusion over jurisdiction; crime scene compromised by searchers.
  • Evidence found: monogrammed lunchbox, notebook, cell phone along route heading north from their home.
  • Family and boyfriend are quickly ruled out via phone pings and witness statements.
    • Notable Quote: “It was kind of like no one knew what to do.” —Dana Bobo ([17:50])

• Public Response

  • Case becomes Tennessee’s most expensive missing-persons investigation ([20:18]), with a $450,000 reward fund.
  • Tips dwindle after initial wave; focus turns to rumors about four local men: Zach and Dylan Adams, Shane Austin, Jason Autry—nicknamed “the A Train”.

The Suspects: The A Train and Turmoil

• Community Suspicion ([21:17]-[25:08])
  • Karen personally questions each of the four men, finding Zach Adams especially suspicious ([23:04]).
    • Notable Quote: "That was Shane." —Zach, blaming his friend ([23:06])
  • All men known locally for drugs and criminal activity; even their families viewed them with fear or suspicion.
    • Shane’s own parents moved him to a trailer for safety ([23:53]).

Break in the Case: Confessions, Death, and Doubt

• Plea Bargain Chaos & Suicide ([25:08]-[27:15])
  • In 2014, Shane Austin offered immunity to testify but gives too little; later found hanged, ruled suicide.
  • Dylan Adams, after his own arrest, fingers Zach and Jason; all the suspects begin incriminating one another amid questions about the truthfulness and reliability of their confessions, especially given reported intellectual disabilities ([27:48]).
    • Notable Quote: "They're drug addicts. They're not murderers." —Cindy Adams, mother of Dylan and Zach ([27:52])

Prosecution vs. the Defense: Web of Testimony

• Charges and Testimonies ([32:07]–[35:49])

  • All three remaining men indicted for kidnapping, rape, and murder. Jason Autry quickly turns state's witness, claiming Zach was the ringleader and that Holly was sexually assaulted and killed.
  • Dylan confesses, but his mother alleges manipulation due to his intellectual disability.
    • Comparison to "Making a Murderer" and the Brendan Dassey scenario ([33:58]).
  • All men have violent criminal pasts—Zach with prior assaults against family, including shooting his own mother and threatening grandparents ([35:17]-[36:21]).
    • Notable Quote: “He shot his own mom.” —Heath ([35:49])

• Recovery of Remains & Trial

  • Holly’s remains found September 2014; only partial skeleton and belongings recovered ([37:20]).
    • Details from Jason Autry on how Holly was shot—corroborated by the autopsy ([41:10]).
    • Notable Quote: "There was a bullet hole in the back of it [her skull]." —Daphne ([41:10])

Conflicting Accounts & Muddled Motives

• Unreliable Narratives ([38:30]-[46:54])
  • Jason and Dylan’s versions of events don’t align; defense and prosecution battle over motivations for lying or telling the truth.
  • Multiple people claim Zach bragged about the crime. Defense suggests it was mere bravado and the investigation was fueled by public outrage more than evidence ([44:56]-[45:00]).

The Question of “Chester the Molester” and Other Possible Suspects

• Local Predator: Terry Britt ([53:11]–[59:40])
  • Britt, a serial rapist with an extensive record, fits the general description of Holly’s abductor and lives along her known route.
  • His creepy statements in interviews (“She’s young, pretty, perfect...like a toy”) and a claimed alibi are discussed; his involvement is seriously considered but never proven.
    • Notable Quote: “If you keep it, you’ve got to feed it, and if you kill it, what are you gonna do with it?” —Terry Britt ([57:03])
  • TBI agent Terry Dykus became convinced Britt was the real perpetrator but was removed for “tunnel vision.” Dykus testified for the defense at trial, calling the Adams group “idiots” incapable of pulling off such a crime ([63:08]).

Evidence, Alibis, and Cell Phone Data

• Cell Data & Alibi Issues ([59:41]–[62:44])
  • Cell phone pings place Zach Adams in the area near where Holly's remains were found, but never at the home itself.
  • Zach claims an alibi (visiting an ATM), but time gaps and lack of direct visual confirmation undermine the defense ([61:21]-[62:44]).

The Verdict(s) and Ongoing Controversy

• Trial Outcomes ([66:17]–[68:56])

  • Zach Adams: Convicted of abduction, rape, murder; sentenced to life plus 50 years ([66:17]).
  • Dylan Adams: Alford plea, 35 years.
  • Jason Autry: Plea deal, released 2020, later re-arrested on unrelated charges.
  • Jason later recants his accusations against Zach, claiming he lied for a deal ([68:39]).
    • Notable Quote: "You have shown absolutely no remorse for anything you've done. But in a devastating turn of events...Jason recanted all of his incriminating stories..." — Karen Bobo’s victim statement ([66:33]); hosts paraphrasing ([68:39])
  • Prosecutions and appeals are ongoing as of early 2026.

• Family’s Belief and Unanswered Questions ([69:02]–[71:56])

  • The Bobo family remains convinced the Adams brothers, Shane, and Jason are responsible; no clear motive or explanation for Holly’s abduction is established.
  • Notable Quote: "The world will now miss out on one of the sweetest souls I have ever known in my life." —Karen Bobo ([73:18])

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "That's not Drew. Shoot him." —Karen Bobo (mother), relaying mother’s intuition and urgency ([12:32])
• "It was kind of like no one knew what to do." —Dana Bobo, on investigators ([17:50])
• "If you're all willing to turn on each other, then you're all probably involved." —Heath ([27:48])
• "He shot his own mom." —Heath, about Zach Adams's violent past ([35:49])
• "There was a bullet hole in the back of it." —Daphne, explaining autopsy results ([41:10])
• "I couldn't have picked a prettier [expletive]. It was fun." —Attributed to Zach Adams bragging about the crime ([44:56])
• "If you keep it, you’ve got to feed it, and if you kill it, what are you gonna do with it?" —Terry Britt ([57:03])
• "I know that my daughter fought and fought hard for her life...But you chose to take that from her." —Karen Bobo to Zach Adams at sentencing ([66:33])
• "The world will now miss out on one of the sweetest souls I have ever known in my life." —Karen Bobo ([73:18])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Holly’s Background & Disappearance: [03:52]–[16:23]
• Witness Accounts & Immediate Aftermath: [09:22]–[18:39]
• Focus on the “A Train” suspects: [21:03]–[25:08]
• Breaks in the Investigation & Confessions: [25:08]–[27:48]
• Suspect Histories & Criminal Records: [35:17]–[36:21]
• Discovery of Holly’s Remains & Autopsy Discussion: [37:20]–[41:56]
• Cell Phone/Evidence Analysis: [59:41]–[62:44]
• Suspicions about Terry Britt: [53:11]–[59:40]
• Verdicts & Appeals: [66:17]–[71:56]
• Family Perspective & Enduring Uncertainty: [69:02]–[73:18]

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Tone & Style

• Compassionate & Analytical: Hosts maintain sensitivity regarding Holly’s memory (“She was the sweetest soul I have ever known...”), while critically examining the many contradictions and failings in the investigation.
• Candid & Occasionally Light-hearted: Despite the grim subject matter, the hosts’ banter (“Yeah, just shoot that guy!”) adds humanity and underscores the confusion and fear of those involved.
• Victim-Focused: Emphasis is kept on Holly and her family’s quest for justice.

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Final Thoughts

• The case remains controversial after more than a decade, with many believing that the men convicted were indeed responsible, while others—citing the flawed investigation, unreliable witnesses, and lack of conclusive physical evidence—argue the truth is still elusive.
• The hosts repeatedly express frustration over the lack of definitive answers, echoing the Bobo family's heartbreak.
• The episode closes with a call for more concrete evidence and hopes for future clarity or closure.

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For a deeper understanding, listeners are encouraged to visit the podcast’s social media for supporting visuals and to join the conversation about this perplexing case.

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[End of summary]

Transcript

[Daphne]

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[Teeth]

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[Daphne]

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[Teeth]

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[Daphne]

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[Teeth]

What is going on? True crime fans? I'm your host, Teeth.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Teeth]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Hope you're doing well today. As always, today's case might be our most recommended case yet, if not one of the most suggested over the years by Dana, April, Mickey, Brittany, Jamie, Crystal, Carrie, Hannah.

[Teeth]

Gotta take a breath. Gotta take a breath. There's too many names.

[Daphne]

Jennifer, Ashlyn, Shawna, Paige, and Megan.

[Teeth]

Wow, so many of you guys have recommended this case over the years.

[Daphne]

I don't remember ever having listed that many names. So this comes obviously very heavily recommended. And I gotta admit this, like many of you probably have, like, I have heard Holly's name for years, but I've never fully looked into it until recently to cover this case. And this one actually has some more recent movement after the trial. So much to discuss.

[Teeth]

Yes. So please make sure you listen up closely and don't forget to tune in to Friday's episode, episode 600 of Going West. I can't believe we're at 600. It's going to be true crime based, of course, but a little bit different to celebrate because, you know, it's 600 cases.

[Daphne]

It's gonna be a ton of fun. Of course, we're gonna have some visuals for that on our socials, so give us a follow. And without further ado, let's discuss the last case of our 500s.

[Teeth]

All right, guys, this is episode 599 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

In April of 2011, a 20 year old nursing student was abducted from her rural Tennessee home in broad Dayton daylight, her brother as a witness. Three years later, her remains were discovered in nearby woods, leading to a controversial investigation and multiple convictions in one of Tennessee's most haunting murder cases. This is the murderer of Holly Bobo. Holly Bobo was born on October 12, 1990 to Karen and Dana Bobo, alongside her older brother Clint. And they were raised in a house that her dad built himself in the tiny community of Darden, Tennessee, which is located between Memphis and Nashville, just under two hours from both. From a young age, Holly was well liked and known for being quiet and sweet. And her life revolved around her family, her community, and her church, especially her church's choir, which she sang in. The Bobos were a tight knit family who loved the outdoors, and Holly really enjoyed fishing, horseback riding, and taking their ATVs out. So she was very much an outdoorsy country girl.

[Teeth]

Yeah, I mean, come on, it's Tennessee.

[Daphne]

Hello. So she and her mom were particularly close, though, with Karen calling her daughter, quote, the sweetest soul I have ever known. And her peers agreed because during Holly's senior year of high school, she won four superlatives. Most favorite, most talented, most beautiful. And for her beloved Ford Mustang, she won the Titus Drive award.

[Teeth]

Wow. So she was pretty popular at her high school.

[Daphne]

Isn't it funny? I feel like in high school the superlatives were such a big deal. You're like, I want to win one. I want to be noticed.

[Teeth]

Yeah, I don't even. Like, I don't think I had one.

[Daphne]

He didn't give a shit.

[Teeth]

No, I was probably skipping school, so.

[Daphne]

Oh yeah, that's so you. So after graduating from high school, because she was not skipping school, good on her, Holly enrolled in nursing school and she started dating her boyfriend Drew, just about a year before she vanished. Her family described the couple as inseparable and said that he had even given her a promise ring, which she wore daily. At the time of her disappearance, 20 year old Holly was a nursing Student at the University of Tennessee at Martin in Parsons, Tennessee, which is only about 10 minutes east of her hometown of Darden. So she was living at home as well as her brother Clint who was enrolled in the same school. So not a ton changed. She was super close, still very tight knit with her family and her brother. They're all right there.

[Teeth]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, really easy just being 10 minutes away from your school.

[Daphne]

Yeah, truly. So on the morning of Wednesday, April 13, 2011, her dad Dana was up early for work as usual. And Holly was already awake studying for a test that she had later that day. You know, she's very responsible. She cares about her school. You know, in her studies she really wants to be a nurse because she wants to help people. So this is a really big goal of hers. Her dad Dana asked her if she would need any money for the day ahead and left her a $20 bill before leaving for work around 5:30am Now Karen, her mom was up next and packed her daughter's lunch because she still loved doing stuff like that, even though Holly was 20. And she recalled that Holly was at the kitchen table st studying. Then Karen left for work, heading to nearby Scott Hills. This is only a 15 minute drive away where she worked at a K through 8 school. That morning Holly spoke to a friend who was also in class with her, just kind of debriefing about the studies for their upcoming test. She also checked in with both her mom again as well as her boyfriend Drew, confirming that they were down to hunt on her grandma's property. Later with some other family members that she had yet to ask. She wanted to get together this big hunting group and she was two phone calls into that. Now this all happened very early because she had to leave for school around 7.30am now her brother Clint had also been home that morning, but he was still asleep having been up late studying. Then around 7:45am a neighbor of the Bobos recalled hearing someone yell stop and leave me alone. The neighbor, James Barnes, reported hearing fighting and then a shriek, though he claims that he couldn't see anything. Meanwhile, at the Bobo house, the family dog, Rascal was barking, which awoke Clint. This is what woke him up. He didn't hear stop, leave me alone. He just heard their dog barking.

[Teeth]

So Karen actually got word of this commotion pretty quickly, but not from her son Clint. Actually her neighbor called the school to report having heard screams at the Bobo's

[Daphne]

house, which I feel like says a lot that he's hearing these screams and he's so worried that he's calling Karen at work.

[Teeth]

Yeah, he must have felt like this was a fairly serious thing. So, alarmed, Karen called the house, and Clint picked up and asked her if Holly had taken the day off of school. Confused, Karen responded that Holly did have school that day. So then Clint kind of wondered if she and Drew were planning on going turkey hunting in the surrounding woods instead, because he could see a man standing over Holly in the carport, dressed in camouflage. Now, unbeknownst to Clinton at the time, Drew was actually hunting on the grandmother's property nearby, so he wasn't at the Bobos. But Clint saw Holly kneeling in front of a man on the cement floor of the carport, appearing distressed. Now, obviously, this is his sister, so he did recognize Holly's voice, and he thought that he recognized the man with her as her boyfriend, Drew, saying, I knew it was Holly. I never saw my sister's face. And I also never saw his face. I expected Drew to be dressed in camouflage because Drew and I had talked the night before, and he told me that he was going turkey hunting that morning. So just to kind of clear up any confusion, Clint is seeing this happen from inside the house, looking out at the carport, and he didn't intervene because he thought that his sister and her boyfriend were arguing, not assuming that she was, you know, in any actual danger at that point.

[Daphne]

Right. Which is why he just mentioned it to his mom more casually confused, instead of going out there and saying something. He is not worried.

[Teeth]

Of course, in hindsight is, you know, 2020. It's not like your mind immediately goes to. Something is very wrong here, especially if you think that that's her boyfriend Drew. But this completely panicked Karen, who told her son, that's not Drew.

[Daphne]

Ugh. Gives me the chills.

[Teeth]

Yeah. Very freaky stuff. So then she told him to call all of the neighbors and get help. But Clint, still unaware of the gravity of the situation, didn't really want to be involved in his sister's relationship, still thinking that it was Drew, who, by the way, is also a friend of his. So when they were off the phone, he again texted his mom, Karen, asking once again if Holly was off school for that day.

[Daphne]

And that kind of confused me at first, looking into this case. Like, he already asked his mom on the phone, does Holly not have school today? And Karen said, no, she does have school. So I was like, why is he texting her again about this? And asking? Almost as if he's. And I hate to even say this out loud, but almost like he's trying to cement a Question, you know, in writing or whatever. But he genuinely probably was just confused and saying, man, I really think that's Dru. And they must be going turkey hunting. Are you sure she doesn't have school today? Are you sure? Sorry. Are you sure she has school today?

[Teeth]

Yeah, I think that's what it was. Is he was just trying to, like, double check, almost just. Yes, you know, confess, confirm that that isn't true.

[Daphne]

I. I completely agree. So, seeing that he was being so casual, though, Karen called Clint back and urged him to shoot the man who Holly was with, telling him, again, that is not Drew.

[Teeth]

Which is crazy when you really think about that. How quickly they she jumped to, hey, just shoot that guy. You know what I mean?

[Daphne]

Yeah. He's on our property. Shoot him. That's not Drew. I don't know who that is. Like, that kind of like we've talked about mother's intuition, that something is very wrong.

[Teeth]

Right.

[Daphne]

And whoever that man is with Holly is not her boyfriend. And if she's kneeling in distress, something's up.

[Teeth]

Shoot him.

[Daphne]

Yeah, like, oh, my God. So confused and still drowsy and kind of waking up. Clint said, so you want me to shoot Drew?

[Teeth]

What? Cause he's like, what, he still doesn't believe. Yeah, he still thinks it's Drew.

[Daphne]

So frustrated because she knows that something else has to be going on here. Karen hung up and decided she needed to call the police and to paint the scene even more. This is what Clint said. It appeared to be Holly kneeling down and Drew. They looked like they were kneeled down facing each other in the garage, and they were talking back and forth. Holly sounded very upset and heated. He was doing much of the talking, and she would answer back and things like that. I couldn't make out hardly any words. The only words I could make out were Holly saying, no. Why? So, yeah, not anything like super crazy. Through the back window of the house, Clint watched as Holly and the man walked in the opposite direction, headed through the woods to a trail that led to a logging road. Now Holly was walking on her own alongside this mystery man. She didn't seem hurt, and she appeared to be going willingly. So her brother Clint was still under the impression that the man guiding her away from the house was her boyfriend and didn't understand his mom's urgency over the phone. Remembering later, she didn't appear to be hurt. I was still very confused. It still didn't enter my mind that Holly was being abducted. But he also admitted that the man appeared larger than Drew, and he noticed that the man was holding something which he at the time believed was like a grunt tube, which is used in hunting to summon deer, you know, to like, mimic their sound.

[Teeth]

Right.

[Daphne]

Which would prove even more that the man was hunting, you know, giving Clint even less reason to be worried, thinking this person, whether Drew or somebody else, is just out there hunting as they do themselves. Of course, unless it wasn't actually a grunt tube and instead was a weapon. Now, back at school, at her work, Karen called 91 1. But due to where her work was located, the call went to the wrong county. And there was a whole mix up with the jurisdiction because the Bobo family lived in Decatur County. But the call was placed to Henderson county, which is the neighboring county. So Karen raced home, calling 911 again on the way, frantically pleading for them to go out to her house again, just feeling like something was very wrong. By the time Clint realized that his sister may have been in danger, he headed outside to find that she was gone. The only thing left in her place were blood spatters on the floor of the garage surrounding her black Ford Mustang, which included a pool of blood about the size of the palm of a hand. So when he saw her walking off into the woods, it didn't look like she was hurt. But now he's like, wait, was she hurt? And I just couldn't tell because he never saw her face.

[Teeth]

And that's when things, you know, are starting to click for Clint because obviously that's not right. The fact that there's blood pooled up on the garage floor, you're like, okay, now what I saw earlier is something very suspicious.

[Daphne]

Yeah, my mom was right. So Clint described the man as 5:10 to 6ft tall and said that he probably weighed about 200 pounds and had dark hair. So, yeah, definitely weighed more than Drew. As you guys will be able to see when you go to our socials and you look at photos that Drew, he's a little bit on the slimmer side. So he did again, in the moment notice it looks a little larger than Drew, but maybe he was just wearing a big jacket. You know, there's justifiable reasons in Clint's head that this still could be be Drew.

[Teeth]

Yeah. And we also have to just again, go back to the fact that Clint had just woken up. Maybe he's kind of rubbing his eyes and he's like, what am I actually seeing here?

[Daphne]

Totally. On her way home, Karen called her husband Dana, you know, to let him know everything that was going on. And he headed home to meet them. Within minutes, the sheriff's Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, or the tbi, An FBI agent, and a SWAT team all arrived at the family home. But despite all of these officials now at the Bobo house, Dana, again, who is Holly's father, recalled, quote, it was kind of like no one knew what to do.

[Teeth]

And sadly, the crime scene was quickly tainted by all the people swarming the home. Basically as many as a hundred people looking for her in the woods and helicopters searching overhead. And the only evidence collected from the scene was a partial handprint from Holly's car, which was never matched to anybody, by the way, and a single footprint believed to have come from a Kroc brand shoe, which was also not matched to anyone. Meanwhile, Holly's phone ping showed her heading north from the Bobo home. So investigators and volunteers searched along this route and managed to come across some of her discarded items, including her monogrammed lunchbox, her notebook, some school papers, and eventually her cell phone, which paints the

[Daphne]

picture that when this happened to her, she was headed out of the house, probably getting into the car, about to get into the car to go to school.

[Teeth]

I mean, that definitely would explain why she was outside when she encountered this person. Well, Karen, Dana, Drew, and Clint asked to be ruled out immediately and just wanted to help in the investigation. So Clint was interviewed multiple times by the TBI, the sheriff's office, and the U.S. marshals, and his story never wavered. And obviously, investigators are just trying to do their due diligence here, realizing that Clint, of course, is like, the last person to see Holly. Clint later said, I've heard countless times, and I'm talking. Sometimes people said this to my face. You know, if I had been that brother, I would have went out there. I would have done something. They just didn't understand the way that this event played out. And we probably should mention that his cell phone pings also showed him at his home on the entirety of that morning from around 7:45am When Holly was believed to have been taken. The police arrived at the Bobo home at 8:10am and he remained at the residence. Holly's phone, however, moved around for over an hour, heading north and then looping around in a near circle, heading back towards the house. And all of them, as well as Holly's boyfriend Drew, were all eventually cleared of suspicion. So what ensued was the most expensive missing persons case in the history of Tennessee.

[Daphne]

Well, based on the fact that the perpetrator seemed to know the schedule of the Bobo family, as well as the layout of the house, the authorities were under the assumption that she knew her Attacker and that she may have been threatened into leaving the home without realizing how much danger she was in. You know, leaving the home, as in going into the woods with this guy. Volunteers from all over the state flocked to the area to assist in the search efforts, and donations flooded in to support a reward fund totaling over $450,000.

[Teeth]

Wow, that is quite a bit of money.

[Daphne]

Yeah, I mean, like you said, it was so expensive because so many eyes were on this story. Everybody wanted to help.

[Teeth]

Sure. Because sometimes we see in cases where, you know, the family's asking for reward money and it's, you know, they're only able to gather up, like, a few $thousand dollars, but $450,000. Massive investigation.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that is a lot. But sadly, despite all this media attention and all this public outcry, tips started to dwindle, and progress in Holly's case slowed to a standstill within just a few weeks. But as her family continued searching, Karen received multiple tips, always regarding the same four local men. Zach Adams, his brother, Dylan Adams, Shane Austin, and Jason Autry. So Zach, Dylan, Shane, Jason. And by the way, Zach and Dylan are in their 20s at this point. Shane is about 30 years old, and Jason was the oldest, around 40 years old. So after continuously hearing the same four names, you know, because as we always talk about rumors, flood cases, people hear things. You know, everybody's talking about these four guys. Karen actually questioned each of the men herself because she's like, no one's talking to these guys. I'm just gonna see what I can get from them and see if they're even involved. Now, they were known in the area for their drug use, and because their last names all began with a, you know, they're like this group of four, they were referred to collectively as the A train.

[Teeth]

It's so interesting that they got that. They got a nickname, like a little click. Yeah.

[Daphne]

So when Karen spoke with Zach Adams, she found him to be particularly suspicious. As they chatted in his living room. He actually happened to be a former student of hers. But during this conversation, she found him erratic and said that she didn't remember seeing him sit down the entire time she was there. So maybe he was a little nervous.

[Teeth]

Yeah, probably just pacing around.

[Daphne]

So when Clint, who was also present, described the suspect as to Zach, you know, saying, this is what he looked like, Zach said matter of factly, quote, that was Shane. So he's like, point blank saying, damn,

[Teeth]

just rolled over on his buddy, literally.

[Daphne]

So Karen spoke with Shane and Jason, as well as Shane's parents, Rita And Jimmy Austin, who she actually knew prior to Holly's disappearance. Because this is a very, very small town and area, Darden has less than a thousand residents. So all these people know each other at least somewhat. Now, Rita and Jimmy admitted to her that their son Shane was so lost in his drug use that they had to move him into a trailer on their property instead of allowing him to live inside their house.

[Teeth]

So essentially, they're kind of afraid of their own son.

[Daphne]

Yes. And we're. We're going to get into that more with all of these guys. They all have really bad reputations, even to their own family members. Well, when Karen spoke with Shane, he actually offered her a key detail. She approached him at a raccoon hunting event to ask him about his possible involvement.

[Teeth]

That couldn't be more Tennessee. I didn't know those existed. Yeah.

[Daphne]

And later said that she was put off and uncomfortable all day at this event, alleging that he followed her for the rest of that day, Even taking a picture of her while pretending to be on the phone.

[Teeth]

Yeah, that's definitely not suspicious at all. You know, if you're not involved.

[Daphne]

Yeah. It's almost like he's, like, targeting her. Oh, she's onto us, maybe, kind of thing.

[Teeth]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

Now, based on the amount of tips that came in about these four men, all four men were questioned intently by investigators as well. They are. They are talking to the a train. Now, Shane's trailer was also searched, and later, Zach's house was searched. Actually, investigators even utilized scent dogs for this effort. But nothing of note was found.

[Teeth]

Well, unfortunately, because things really just weren't unfolding very quickly here. Three years passed after hawley vanished, and the investigation really just continued to lag Until a surprise plea deal in March of 2014 set into motion a series of trials and arrests that would end with three men in jail and one deceased. So investigators zeroed in on Shane Austin, hoping that he would be the missing piece of the puzzle. And he was actually offered immunity if he could bring down the other three men. So, of course, Zack, Dylan, and Jason. Because, according to Shane, Zach had been very comfortable boasting about what he did to Holly. And he recalled a specific instance in which Zach told someone, I'm going to do to you what I did to Holly. But Shane was able to offer up little else to investigators, and therefore, his plea deal was revoked. So he's kinda saying, you know, Zack's going around boasting that he did something to Hollywood, but he wasn't able to give very much, I guess.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Because it's like, if they're offering you a plea deal, you got to really lay it down. You got to give us something good. And he's not doing that. That's not enough.

[Teeth]

If you can't give us enough, then there's no immunity. But then on February 23, 2015, Shane's parents found him deceased, hanging in his hotel room in Bartow, Florida, which many people believe was due to police, you know, getting close to finding out the truth here. So with one of their suspects now deceased, investigators were forced to zero in on another key witness. Meanwhile, Dylan Adams was arrested on gun charges after having been apprehended with both guns and drugs in the company of a felon who was not permitted access to firearms. And that's when he tipped investigators off about his brother Zach's involvement, as well as the involvement of the fourth member of the group, Jason.

[Daphne]

So they're all kind of turning on each other.

[Teeth]

Yeah, because at this point, they're all trying to figure out a way to wiggle out of the situation and, you know, get a plea deal and get immunity.

[Daphne]

Still without giving very specific details. Like, it's not like one of them saying, okay, here's what we did. It's. Sorry, go ahead though, tell us what he said.

[Teeth]

Well, I think it's really interesting because this also just shows that if you're willing. If you're all willing to turn on each other, then you're all probably involved and y' all probably did it.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So true. You know what I mean? Yeah. If they're all. If they're all doing it, then yeah.

[Teeth]

Okay, guys, that shows you a lot. However, his family, Jason's family alleges that this should have been taken with a grain of salt based on his intellectual disability. Their mom Cindy said later in an interview, quote, in my heart of hearts, I know my boys. They're drug addicts. They're not murderers. With spring activities, sports and busy schedules, it can be tough to keep academics front and center. IXL makes it simple to stay consistent and build momentum without adding stress.

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[Daphne]

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[Teeth]

After Dylan was released into a halfway house, he was placed under the surveillance of a former Memphis, Tennessee police officer named Dennis Benjamin. As the state continued to pursue their case against the men. Now, they quickly handed down indictments for all three men who were each arrested and charged with the first degree kidnapping, rape, and murder of 20 year old Holly Bobo. Jason was very quick to testify against his friends, claiming that Zach was the ringleader of the operation. You know, the one who guided Holly away from the house. And then Dylan actually then confessed to Holly's kidnapping and murder and adding that he, Zach, Shane and Jason had sexually assaulted Holly at Zach's home on the day of her abduction.

[Daphne]

But it's just like you said a minute ago, Heath, the fact that they're all turning on each other and have a story about how they themselves or the other is involved in what happened,

[Teeth]

that just means that you're all responsible.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it just means that this is what's going on.

[Teeth]

Yeah, because it's like if that wasn't the case and they're not all turning on each other, you could maybe say maybe there's another player here. Like if they're all denying the fact that they were involved.

[Daphne]

Right. Maybe we got this wrong.

[Teeth]

Yeah, exactly. But that doesn't seem to be the case. But I will say that Dylan's mom, Cindy, felt that Dennis persuaded him to confess and just convinced him that he had been involved in Holly's abduction, rape and murder, and that he didn't understand what he was confessing to. So she's essentially saying that with his intellectual disability, she thinks that this investigator or this. This police officer is trying to get Dylan to confess to something that he really didn't do.

[Daphne]

Which makes things a little bit more difficult. This. This takes me back to making a

[Teeth]

murderer and muddies the water a bit.

[Daphne]

Yeah, because we've seen this before, like with Brennan Dassey and Steven Avery of like, if. If you're trying to use somebody as a scapegoat, but it's also like, Dylan isn't being used as a scapegoat here. He's just willingly saying, me, my brother Zach and my buddies Shane and Jason all did this and maybe he is telling the truth or is he being coerced because he's in a more vulnerable position. So, yeah, it does muddy the waters a bit, but it also still just could be the truth. But the confession was enough forward momentum for the prosecution. So Zach and Jason were indicted In March of 2014, almost three years after the crime, based on Dylan's testimony, as well as multiple tips from key eyewitnesses who claim to have heard Dylan bragging about the crime and its aftermath. So it seems both brothers, Zach and Dylan, were talking about it.

[Teeth]

They both could not shut the hell up, apparently.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Which again, really wasn't a surprise because all four men had criminal records. Jason was a 16 time felon, and he was a member of the Aryan Nations.

[Teeth]

Ew for you. Yeah.

[Daphne]

Which, for those who don't know, is a neo Nazi gang with really strong roots in the Tennessee prison system. But Zach's criminal history was the most damning of them all. On February 7, 2004, seven years before Holly's disappearance, Zach shot his mom in the knee with a handgun. So his mom and stepfather, again, Cindy and Joseph, had him arrested and sought an order of protection against him. Like they were afraid of their own son.

[Teeth]

That is so wild that he shot his own mom.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So Zach actually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was allowed to serve most of his sentence in a rehab facility. But just over a year later, on June 16, 2005, Zach then threatened his grandparents with a gun. So his paternal grandparents, Becky and Dick Adams, also sought a restraining order against him. So he's like, going after his own family. And I feel like if you can go after your family, you could go after anybody.

[Teeth]

Yeah, if. Yeah, exactly. Because you have. You have no emotional ties to Holly Bobo. So if you can, like, threaten your grandparents with a gun.

[Daphne]

Yeah, like your poor grandparents. Jeez. Well, Joseph actually told police that he believed his stepson Zach was, quote, a danger to the community in June of 2011. So three months after Holly disappeared, Zach faced assault charges after he threatened to kill his girlfriend, Rebecca. So, yeah, the guy goes after everybody. She reported that he attacked her, gripping her neck and pushing her to the floor. Luckily, she managed to escape, but not before Zach threatened her with his gun, just as he had with his parents and his grandparents. So he was again charged with assault and sentenced to three months in jail, but was again sent to rehab instead.

[Teeth]

Well, in the midst of the legal pursuit of Zach, Dylan and Jason, Holly's body was finally recovered. Now, it would take over three years, but on September 8, 2014, the TBI announced that Holly's skeletal remains had been found in the dense woods off of School Corner Road in Holliday, Tennessee, which is about 30 minutes north of Darden. A hunter named Larry Stoner came across her skull and a few of her discarded items, including her wallet and driver's license, the promise ring that Drew had given her, the shoes that she had been wearing on the day she was abducted, and even some of her schoolwork. Both Zach and Jason were charged with aggravated kidnapping, rape, and first degree murder, and they pleaded not guilty to these charges. But when Jason was offered a plea deal for testifying against Zach in his trial In September of 2017, he saw his way out, and he took it. According to Jason, Zach Adams abducted Hollywood, who was then brought over to Shane's house.

[Daphne]

And remember, earlier, Dylan said that this happened at Zach's house. So they're all telling like they're all implicating themselves and each other, but they're telling different versions of a story.

[Teeth]

Exactly. Which, again, makes every single one of them even more suspicious. Well, when Jason arrived that day, he apparently found Zach, Dylan, and Shane with Hollywood, with all three of them having sexually assaulted her already. Jason claimed that when he pulled up Ticheen's trailer that day, all three men were outside, and a fire was burning inside a large metal drum, which he believed were Holly's belongings being torched in an attempt to rid the evidence. Then, apparently, Zach covered her body in a blanket, believing that she was dead, and placed her in the back of his grandfather's white pickup truck. But when he and Jason went to dispose of her body, driving her out to this desolate dirt road that flanked the Tennessee river, and dragging her out of the vehicle, they heard a muffled sound coming from inside the blanket, and they realized that Holly was still alive. Jason claimed that he had watched Zach strike her in the head with a single bullet from Shane's gun, taking her life instantly. At that point, Zach and Jason split up. And Jason claimed that he didn't know where Zach had disposed of the body. But Jason's testimony had some holes. Like, for example, Shane's mother testified that Shane didn't even own a burn barrel and that there was no gate on their driveway at the time, despite Jason having described one in his testimony. Also, Jason took phone calls from his mom and girlfriend during the time that he was supposedly helping to kill and dispose of Holly's body. Jason maintained that though he was guilty of covering up the crimes of his friends, he had not had any part in abducting, raping, or murdering Holly Bobo, contrary to what Dylan claimed. But at the end of the day, the only person who was bragging about it was was Zach Adams, apparently telling anyone who would listen, quote, I couldn't have picked a prettier. It was fun.

[Daphne]

Well, something that is interesting about Jason's testimony that could prove that he was either involved or knew what had happened. Holly is what we learned from Holly's autopsy. So, basically, the entirety of Holly's body was not found. It was just several ribs, one of her shoulder blades, and then her skull and her teeth.

[Teeth]

Right. Because it had been three years since her abduction.

[Daphne]

Yes, absolutely. So, of course, the elements, decomposition, animal activity, you know, because she was out exposed in the woods, but because her skull was found, that told us a lot of what we needed to know, because there was a bullet hole in the back of it. Now, this bullet entered the back right side of her head, and then it traveled to the front left side. So it went through her cheekbone as well when it exited, and it fractured that cheekbone. So Jason obviously said that Zach shot her in the head casually because she was moving and groaning. And that would then make sense with her autopsy.

[Teeth]

Right. It seems to line up. And that's. You know, had her remains not been found, it would have been a lot harder to confirm that or confirm that that was exactly what happened. But, you know, now we're able to.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it tells us a lot. And then when you couple it with all of their stories and what everybody else is saying, because, you know, like, you just. You just read that wonderful quote. He's, I couldn't have picked a prettier bitch. It was fun. Which is apparently something that Zach said. Well, his ex girlfriend, Rebecca, also recalled him threatening her, that he would, quote, tie her up just like he did to Holly Bobo, and that no one would ever see her again. But I will say Zach's defense team called her credibility into question as someone who had been a frequent user of methamphetamine and Xanax. So, you know, whether that would actually affect her testimony, we cannot say, but, of course.

[Teeth]

But, yeah, based on what we know about Zach, it's not hard to believe that he threatened his girlfriend.

[Daphne]

Right. And obviously, the defense team was certainly trying to discredit her. That is literally their job.

[Teeth]

Yeah, absolutely. But it is pretty clear to me at this point that Zach. It does feel like Zach was the ringleader here.

[Daphne]

You know, I agree. Everybody else does, too.

[Teeth]

It seems like he's got the longest criminal history. He's kind of, you know, he's the one bragging about it.

[Daphne]

Everybody's, like, the most violent.

[Teeth]

Yes. Everybody's kind of, like, folding on Zach.

[Daphne]

Well, and we. We will have a comment from him about that later. But basically, his defense team also said that Rebecca had every reason to lie, given that she was also pregnant at the time of her questioning. And according to Rebecca herself, the TBI agent who interviewed her hinted at having her child taken away from her due to her drug use. So she was incentivized to comply. I think any witness that is incentivized to comply, you know, is in a tough spot because it does take away some of their credibility, but it also doesn't automatically mean that they're lying. So it just. It's hard to say. But multiple other people came forward to allege Zach's involvement as well, saying that he had been responsible or at the very least, been directly involved in her murder and the disposal of her body. He also bragged to another friend that he had, quote, been there for the worst of it and that he and his accomplices had chopped up her body and in order to conceal her remains, which at this point, unfortunately, again, because of some of her remains being missing, we cannot prove whether that is true or not. But Zach basically just said that all of this had been fabricated by Jason, though he did admit to bragging about having committed the murder and its aftermath. He is saying, yes, I did tell people that I said it, which gives credit to all these people coming forward

[Teeth]

saying that he said that, but I didn't do it.

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's so stupid, because Zach said that he only said these things to look tough and intimidate people in the drug trade, which he was obviously very involved in. So he's like, oh, yeah, well, I just. Just wanted to look tough, so I took credit for it.

[Teeth]

Well, either way, Zach, you're a fucking idiot.

[Daphne]

Yeah. I mean, why would you lie about that? To just. To look tough. And now, well, look. Look what position it's put you in now. Yeah, not so smart, was it? But obviously as well. This isn't the only reason why people think Zach is involved. So there you go. Well, despite the prosecution's eagerness to put Jason on the stand as a firsthand witness, he didn't know how or why, apparently, Holly had been taken from her home in the first place. He didn't know where her final resting place had been. And he also admitted that he, like the others, had been using drugs at the time. Initially, he alleged that Zach told him that her remains had been discarded off of Kelly Ridge, but they were found about two miles or three kilometers from

[Teeth]

there, which I think makes things even more interesting. Just the fact that he couldn't, like, pinpoint exactly where they had discarded the remains like he was off by miles.

[Daphne]

Everybody is being so vague, though, about what they know, and maybe it is because they were using drugs or because they're scared to admit certain details, but it's so wild that not one of them is saying the whole story. And that story is matching up with the evidence.

[Teeth]

Yeah, exactly. Well, Zack's defense team continued to try to say anything that they could, including that Zack had never met nor even heard of holly before he was implicated in her rape and murder, and that no direct evidence proved his culpability in the case.

[Daphne]

Yeah, right.

[Teeth]

I mean, it's like, even if you didn't know her, that doesn't mean that you couldn't kill her. Like, what, you couldn't kill a stranger.

[Daphne]

Yeah, right. True.

[Teeth]

Well, another piece of the prosecution's story Came from a man named Virgil dinsmore, often called Victor, who had been close to the group and by his own admission, sold them drugs. Victor told the jurors that on the morning Holly bobo disappeared, Three of the men, Zach adams, Jason autry, and Shane Austin, Showed up at his house to buy weed. And according to him, they were kinda acting off, you know, like, agitated or on edge. He said that the situation escalated into a petty argument over who would get the first hit of hollywood until he got fed up, and then he eventually just kicked them out of his house. But what really stuck with him, he said, came later. So, months after Holly vanished, Victor claimed that Shane Austin returned to his house, this time with a gun. And he didn't bring this gun there to, like, use. He brought it there as part of, like, a payment or an exchange for drugs. And according to Victor, that gun came with trouble. He later told his wife it needed to disappear because it, quote, had a body on it.

[Daphne]

So if this gun was indeed used to kill Holly, which, remember, Jason said she was shot with Shane's gun, Then Shane got rid of his weapon and caught drugs in one convenient fell swoop.

[Teeth]

Yeah. And I'm sure in his mind, he's thinking, well, if I can get rid of this and somebody else can put their palm prints on it or whatever, and, you know, it's not connected to me anymore, and I can get drugs of it, out of it. Like two birds with one stone.

[Daphne]

Yeah, pretty wild. Especially considering Victor is also claiming that he saw these men and was with them at his house on the morning that Holly went missing and that they were talking about it, and now he's saying he actually thought that this gun was used in the murder.

[Teeth]

Yeah, and Victor did Say that he got rid of that gun. I mean, first he says that he buried it and then later threw the.32 caliber handgun into a nearby body of water because he actually did believe that it could be connected to Hawley's murder. But unfortunately, investigators were never able to recover that weapon. So it's still out there somewhere. But here's the thing, though. Victor testified that, over time, Multiple guns passed through his hands from this same group, Making it even harder to trace what might have been the murder weapon and what might have just been other guns that they possessed.

[Daphne]

Victor Dinsmore also alleged that the white pickup truck used by Zach to transport Holly's body Had been hidden on his property in the aftermath of the crime. But Zach's grandfather, Dick Adams, actually owned the truck, like we said, and he called this account into question. Sorry, I know we're saying so many names and there are so many players in this, but. So, apparently, this truck was on Victor's property. They left it there after Holly's body had been disposed of. But dick, the grandfather of Zach and Dylan, the owner of the truck, Claimed in court during the trial that he didn't believe it would have been possible For Zach to have access to that pickup truck that particular day that Holly went missing, Because Zach had been arrested with that truck Just nine days before Holly was abducted. So the truck was actually impounded. And after Dick paid to have it released, he parked it on the property of his friend, Specifically in order to keep it away from his grandson, Zach. He even noted that he maintained possession of the only set of keys to the truck.

[Teeth]

So if Dick is saying this, then how possible. Then it doesn't seem like it's possible that Zach used that particular white truck.

[Daphne]

But it's such a specific thing for both Victor and Jason to claim, because that was also a part of Jason's long confession, Is that it was Zach's grandfather's white pickup truck that was used to transport Holly's body. And now Victor is saying the same thing. So it's like, does dick have it wrong, or how are they both lying about this same truck? They both know of the truck in general because Zach used it so much prior.

[Teeth]

And also, what would be the motivation For Victor and Jason to lie about the white truck being used?

[Daphne]

I don't know. It's just so tough because it makes it so much harder to know who to believe, which is why this is such a complicated case, because nobody has the same story. And to top this off, the resident of the property that the truck was on believed that the truck had been there on the morning that Holly was kidnapped. So there is somebody else to say. Yeah, I mean that. I think it was on my property that morning anyway, just like Dick said.

[Teeth]

How is this so hard to confirm? It's got. It's like, I know you got two people on one side saying that Zach used the truck. Then you got two people on the other side saying that, no, he couldn't have used it because it was on my property.

[Daphne]

It's mind numbing.

[Teeth]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

Well, of course, the defense immediately pushed for a mistrial, arguing that what the jury had just seen wasn't evidence. Zach's defense attorney, Jennifer Thompson, claimed the case against her client was being driven less by solid evidence and more by something that was harder to kind of quantify. You know, this public outrage against these men, because as you guys can tell, this was an expensive, high profile case that was years in the making. And in her view, that pressure and the pressure to solve it, to justify the resources and give the community answers, had overtaken the need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zach and these other men had actually done this. But before we get to the verdict, we want to discuss another person condemned by the community. A guy named Terry Britt, who, for whatever reason, was known locally as Chester the Molester.

[Teeth]

Interesting that town also had a Chester the Molester, because when I was growing up, we definitely had a Chester the Molester. That's what all the kids called him.

[Daphne]

Wait, you did?

[Teeth]

Yeah. Who? There was just a weird guy that would. He was always just around the grocery stores, kind of like, flirting. He was an older guy, but he would flirt with, like, the high school girls and stuff when they would come in. And, yeah, everybody kind of knew him as, like, Chester the Molester.

[Daphne]

Wait, I wonder if that's like, a term.

[Teeth]

It is a term.

[Daphne]

It's like a peeping tom. Chester the Molester.

[Teeth]

Somebody out there knows exactly what I'm talking about. That almost every town has a Chester the Molester.

[Daphne]

God, mine didn't. Well, that's crazy, though. You're lucky, because at first I was like, why? His name and his middle name. Chester. Okay, yeah, that makes sense that it would be like a term because it's. It rhymes.

[Teeth]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

Disgusting, though. And the fact that he's known around town as this, like, what an embarrassing and horrific thing to be known by. Well, he spent most of his life in and out of prison, of course, for the rape and abduction of multiple women, as well as many other criminal charges. Terry's rape charges dated back to his first conviction in 1977 when he was charged with sexual battery and later numerous rapes and other charges like theft, larceny, a DUI violation of his registration on the sexual offender registry, driving on a suspended license, harassment and kidnapping.

[Teeth]

Yeah, so he's just the town's like creep.

[Daphne]

Yes, literally. So. His description also matched the one that Clint offered of the perpetrator on the day of Holly's disappearance. I think a lot of people could seem to match this description, but Zach is 6:2 and was very thin at the time that she went missing. So although he had dark hair, he didn't really match it to a T. Though we must remember as well that Clint isn't thinking in the moment to take an exact description of this person, you know, height, weight, etc. Of the guy he's seeing. But I imagine if I saw Zack from behind, I would not think he was Holly's boyfriend. Drew, though it's said that Terry did match it, but a 5, 10 to 6 foot white guy, around 200 pounds with dark hair is pretty freaking common.

[Teeth]

Yeah, that's not very specific.

[Daphne]

It's not like this was a short, red haired, stout person, you know, it's not very specific. A lot of men are of average height build with dark hair. However, Terry did live in the vicinity of the Bobos and along the route that Holly's phone traveled that morning and where they later found some of her discarded belongings. In his recorded interrogation, because they did interview Terry Britt, he told the TBI agent who interviewed him, a guy named Terry Dykis. Yes, there are two Terry's, so we're gonna use their surnames the whole time. So Terry Britt said to the TBI agent, quote, she's young, pretty, perfect, somewhat body. Okay, Like a toy. Some people would think. So this man, when he goes and gets this female and he's gonna go snatch her up, he can't wait to get her to where he's gonna take her to because he's wanting that body.

[Teeth]

Ew. What the fuck?

[Daphne]

No, it's. I mean, this is, this is Terry Britt's mind, okay?

[Teeth]

I mean, leave it to Terry Britt to just say the most like offhand weird shit.

[Daphne]

So obviously in this he's saying he didn't do it and he's referencing the person who did do it, like, oh yeah, this is the mindset that it would take because I would know because I have the same mindset because I'm a sick fuck.

[Teeth]

What is this? The show Mindhunter? Like he's like, you know, basically trying to give them. Them a profile.

[Daphne]

Yeah, no, ignore. Exactly.

[Teeth]

Silence of the Lambs.

[Daphne]

Yes. But he alleged her captor, whoever it was, not me. Right. Likely panicked when he realized the lengths that it would take to keep her alive, saying, quote, if you keep it, you've got to feed it, and if you kill it, what are you gonna do with it?

[Teeth]

Oh, my gosh, that's so it. That's so crazy to me. It's like, he's like, yeah, I know exactly how this goes because I'm actually a professional at this. I've done this before.

[Daphne]

So after Holly's disappearance, all local sexual predators were investigated, and Terry Britt emerged as a strong possibility for involvement. And sadly, Holly was just the type of young woman that Terry preyed upon. Fair skinned, blue eyed and blonde. When the police first arrived to question him, he told them, I didn't rape nobody. Like, yikes. That's the first thing you say. That's how, you know he does this a lot.

[Teeth]

Like, they literally just walked up to him. They're like, within 10ft. And he's like, wait, wait, wait, I didn't. I wasn't the raper here.

[Daphne]

Such a sicko. Well, when asked why he had this reaction, he alleged that he heard rumblings of a missing woman and that he feared he would be tied to the crime. Why would you fear that if you're not involved? Why would you fear that?

[Teeth]

Because he's a bad person and because everybody knows him around town for being the guy that does this.

[Daphne]

But he basically just said he didn't even know Holly. He had only heard rumblings of a missing woman, didn't know who she was or what the situation was, and he had never seen her before.

[Teeth]

He really is coming off like Hannibal Lecter. But still, the TBI wiretapped his phone, they bugged his house, and they had him followed. And he maintained that he had an airtight alibi, having been with his wife Janet all day on the day of Holly's murder. Which is crazy that this guy even has a wife.

[Daphne]

Does not deserve a woman.

[Teeth]

No. But Agent Terry Dykus called this into question, wondering why his phone records show that he and his wife Janet spoke on the phone that morning for 2 minutes and 56 seconds. If they were together the entire time. When he was first questioned, still in custody for his last infraction, he told the interrogating officer sarcastically, sounds like you have it all figured out. I'll plead to it if you can close the case. So is he toying with interrogators and, you know, trying to, like, like, mess with them, essentially, and say, oh, well, I'll plead to it if you can close it.

[Daphne]

Yeah, he's a smartass.

[Teeth]

Or is he actually responsible? But with no evidence that he was actually involved, prosecutors continued with their course of action against Zach Adams. Cell phone data would continue to be one of the prosecution's strongest tools, as records showed that Zach Adams phone was pinging in the same general area as Holly's the morning that she disappeared, both connecting to a tower near Yellow Springs, just south of Holliday, the same area where her remains were later found. And that wasn't all, because at one point, both Zach's phone and Jason Autry's phone appeared to connect near the Jimmy Evans Memorial Bridge, which is where Jason claimed Holly was ultimately killed. So, of course, for prosecutors, it painted a picture of two bad men in the same place at the same time, right where the crime was said to have happened. But the defense saw something very different because they argued that Zach lived within range of those towers, meaning his phone could have pinged there even if he never even left home. Because in rural areas, especially, a single tower can cover miles. So they're like, well, was he just, like, at home? And that's why his phone pinged at this particular tower. And then there was the detail that they just couldn't ignore. Zach's phone never pinged off the tower closest to Holly's house. So if he had been there that morning with his phone abducting her phone in his pocket, you'd expect it to, but it didn't that morning.

[Daphne]

Phone records also show that Zach Adams was in contact with Jason Autry, which could just be two buddies chatting. But because there seemed to be so much connecting them that morning, it seems suspicious here. Now, as far as Zach's alibi goes, he said he was home, on Facebook, on the home computer when Holly was abducted. And then he texted his mom right after. A couple hours later, he said that by 11:12am, a couple hours after Holly went missing, he was in Parsons, Tennessee, just minutes from Holly's house. I'm talking like a seven minute drive stopping at an atm. And according to him, surveillance footage would back that up as his truck, he said could be seen on camera. Technically, it could be, but Zach himself wasn't visible in the footage, so the judge actually ruled it out, and the video never made it in front of the jury. And not that it would really even matter because this was still over two hours after Holly went missing. So it's like you could have killed her, hidden her body and then gone to the ATM and tried to go about a normal day. But he's trying to say this like, well it couldn't have been me because I was having a normal morning at the ATM and I couldn't have done that after I just killed somebody.

[Teeth]

Yeah, we're not, we're not coming down to like seconds or even minutes. You know, it's like there's a two hour gap here. So yeah, you could have easily made it to the ATM two hours after she vanished.

[Daphne]

And even more, it's like two hours, you know, because her phone last ping just after 9am but she was last seen around 8am so you absolutely could have gone to the ATM afterwards.

[Teeth]

Yeah. So none of this actually matters, especially

[Daphne]

I will say if you were trying to be caught on camera for something so you would have an alibi. And by the way, he also claimed that Shane was with him in the passenger seat and Dylan was in the back. So Jason apparently wasn't with them. But here's Zach claiming he was with two of them that morning after she went missing. So this is just a really tough case because they don't have a slam dunk anywhere and they think so many people are involved, including still Terry Britt. Because even though Terry was officially ruled out, Agent Terry Dykus believed that Terry Britt was responsible. So strongly in fact, that it became a problem because his superiors felt that he had developed tunnel vision, you know, zeroing in on one suspect at the expense of all the others. So eventually he was removed from the investigation because of it. Still called to testify for the defense, Terry Dikus made his position crystal clear. Like he testified on behalf of Zach, which is kinda wild. So he referenced Zach, Dylan, Shane and Jason. This is Terry Dykus. And he told the court I was wasting my time investigating these idiots because in his view they simply weren't capable of pulling off a crime this complex and keeping it hidden for years despite them all turning on each other. And in some ways each of them admitted to doing it.

[Teeth]

Yeah. And implicating each other.

[Daphne]

Yeah, he just thinks that was all phony and that they just didn't do it and that they're just stupid guys. Which I think is so interesting considering the fact that he did spend a lot of time investigating the A train and doesn't think they did it and really fully wholeheartedly believes that it was Terry Bridge. And as if the case needed more layers, yet another potential figure surfaced in the rumor mill. A Former boyfriend of Holly's, someone she had reportedly taken out a restraining order against. That man, Blake Barnett, would later be arrested in 2014 for the abduction and assault of another woman, and again in 2017 on drug charges. But despite the speculation, he was never officially named as a suspect in Holly Bobo's case. So we have a lot of different players, a lot of different names, all of whom seem capable and available to have committed this crime, but none with really enough slam dunk evidence to prove over the other.

[Teeth]

And it's kind of crazy that there's so many terrible people in this general area. Like, why are there so many dudes that have abducted. Abducted women in this case?

[Daphne]

I don't know.

[Teeth]

It's crazy.

[Daphne]

They're coming out of the woodwork.

[Teeth]

Well, on September 22, 2017, 29 year old Zach Adams was found guilty of the abduction, rape, and murder of Holly Bobo. One day later, the sentence came down. Life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 50 years. Dylan Adams chose a different path, entering an Alford plea. So maintaining his innocence while acknowledging that the evidence could likely lead to a conviction. In exchange, he received a reduced sentence, which was 35 years total, including time of facilitation of first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping served concurrently. As for Jason Autry, once one of the prosecution's key witnesses, he also accepted a deal, pleading guilty to lesser charges. He was credited for time already served, and by 2020, he was back out of prison. So we have three very different outcomes here, all tied to the same horrible crime and or possibly others not yet successfully implicated. But before the courtroom emptied for Zach's trial, Holly's mom stood to speak. Heron Bobo asked Zach Adams to look at her. And then she said, I know that my daughter fought and fought hard for her life, and I know that she begged for her life because my daughter loved and enjoyed life. But you chose to take that from her. And you have shown absolutely. Look at me, please. You have shown absolutely no remorse for anything you've done. But in a devastating turn of events for her family, Holly's case is back in the news cycle. After Jason recanted all of his incriminating stories and evidence in February of 2024, alleging that he was merely angling for early release. But the prosecution argued that he hadn't been a credible witness from the onset of the first trial and that the jury was aware of this and chose to convict him anyway. So Jason served eight years and then was released in September of 2020. But, you know, no big shock. He was Free for less than three months before being arrested again and is now back in federal custody on unrelated charges. Because these idiots just, you know, they'll never. They'll never learn a lesson. In June of 2024, he was sentenced to 19 years for possession of a firearm as a felon. Meanwhile, Terry Britt is currently paroled and still actually lives in that area. Chester the Molester.

[Daphne]

In December of 2013, the TBI was asked to step away from working on the case, and they did. So, you know, obviously this is years before the trial, but they did later rejoin the investigation. The district attorney, however, stepped down and appointed a new prosecutor. And this marked a long line of missteps for the investigation, which many feel was honestly bungled from the very beginning, which is why there are no clear answers. Despite multiple convictions between how many investigative agencies were involved and the fact that Holly's case was not immediately pursued as an abduction, the case lost valuable time. Dylan attempted to appeal his conviction in 2022, and in 2024, he filed a motion for a new trial. Zach's defense team is also currently pursuing a new trial. In January of 2024, Zach's legal team began a concentrated effort to obtain a retrial, and a hearing to determine whether or not this was warranted was held in December of 2025. So just a few months ago, the final day of the hearing was December 29, 2025, but no decision has yet been announced. The family and supporters of Zach and Dylan Adams have established a website in an effort to secure the brothers a new trial and in hopes of gaining their freedom. The Bobos, however, have openly stated their belief that Zach, Dylan, Shane, and Jason were responsible for taking Holly's life. But the question remains why they would have been on her property that morning. Did Zach and or one of the other men go to her house that day looking for her? Were they hunting near her property? And they devised this plan at random? You know, it really does seem like she was leaving for school. It was very early in the morning. Did she just happen to encounter them or one of them? Why were they there in the first place? We still don't know. Karen, who now wears her daughter's promise ring as a reminder of her, stated that she has no doubt that these four men were involved. A nursing scholarship in Holly's name was eventually established, which was, of course, a reminder of the legacy of kindness that Holly left behind. Karen said sadly, quote, the world will now miss out on one of the sweetest souls I have ever known in my life. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Teeth]

Yes. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I'd really love to know what you guys think. Do you guys think that these four men were responsible for Holly's abduction and murder? Please let us know if you want to see photos for from this case. Head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram at Going west podcast. We're on Facebook TikTok go give us a follow. And don't forget, we will be at Crimecon in May. So if you want to come see us and hang out, use our code going West 10 to get a discount. And we would love to see you there.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this story. I know a lot of you guys are very familiar with this case and you have watched, you know, documentary on it or listen to other podcasts on it, but it was high time that we finally covered it, especially because of all the controversy. And I think it's really important to. I don't know, I want to. I want to go along with what her family says because they live in the community. They have spoken directly to these men. They have heard from multiple members of the community who told them specifically that these men were involved. I fully understand why they would hold that belief then. I just wish that they had answers as to why the hell that is.

[Teeth]

Yeah. And I also wish that there was a little bit more concrete evidence that we could go off of here. But again, thank you guys for listening. Thank you for recommending this case. Everybody who did.

[Daphne]

Yeah, all the people that did, the

[Teeth]

long list of people that recommended it. So glad that we were able to finally do this one.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Because it really is a shame as well that there wasn't any DNA evidence to prove one way or another. Obviously we know Shane's trailer and Zach's house were searched. Nothing was found. That obviously doesn't mean that they weren't responsible. But I agree with you. I wish we had a little bit more and that the family could have a little bit more closure. But to them, they know what happened and are just trying to make peace with it. So thank you guys so much and we will see you for episode 600 on Friday.

[Teeth]

Oh, my gosh, I can't wait. 600. All right, guys. So with that for everybody out there

[Daphne]

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[Teeth]

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[Daphne]

Aw, see, Pop Pop trusts you. I think we should call a doctor.

[Teeth]

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