HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — The long-anticipated trial in the case of murdered
nursing student Holly Bobo began Monday. Zach Adams is charged with
first-degree felony murder, premeditated murder, especially aggravated
kidnapping and aggravated rape.

Zachary Rye Adams has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is the first
to stand trial of three defendants charged in Bobo’s disappearance and
death.

Holly Bobo was reported missing on the morning of April 13, 2011.

Attorneys for both sides made opening statements Monday morning outlining
their case to the jury in the Savannah Tennessee courtroom. The case is
being tried before Judge C. Creed McGinley.

For the state, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman
told the jury Zachary Adams was a man who lived in the “dark, dark world”
of methamphetamine and morphine. “He took her, then drugged and raped
her, he killed her, and he discarded her. Adams bragged about it, said
Hagerman during Monday’s opening statement.

The defense painted a very different picture for the jury. Defense
Attorney Jennifer Thompson said her client, Zach Adams, is not guilty of
any of the charges in connection with Bobo’s death or disappearance and
that the state charged the wrong person after looking at many others as
suspects.

Thompson said Zach Adams never even knew Holly Bobo. Holly was a good
person, she loved her family, her boyfriend, she loved the Lord. She was
smart and did well in school. This happens to be one of those tragedies in
which somebody who was a good person, something bad happened to that
person. “ However, Zach Adams is not the person who’s guilty of this
crime,” Thompson said.

Thompson said Jason Autry will testify but only after he made a deal with
the state to sell his testimony in exchange for a reduced sentence. Pay
attention to his testimony Thompson said for all the facts he doesn’t know.

Both the state and defense brought up Jason Autry’s testimony as being
crucial to this case.

Hagerman described for the jury an alleged phone call the day Bobo
disappeared between Zach Adams and Jason Autry, Autry is also charged with
Bobo’s death. Thompson told the jury to pay close attention to the
prosecution’s case regarding the cell phone calls and locations not for
just what’s there but whats missing. Thompson said that while the three
suspects phones were all in the same area Holly’s phone records never show
her with them.

Thompson described a search that took place on property that the Adams’
brothers, along with their grandfather own in Decatur county. Over 500
pieces of potential evidence were removed from the area, sections of
carpet, mattresses, clothes, linens, and more, said Thompson.
Investigators took a section of flooring all the way to the joists from
Zach Adams home and impounded 4 vehicles as evidence but none of it
produced any link to Holly Bobo. “There’s no DNA that matches Holly to the
house, there are no fingerprints that match Holly to the house or to the
cars. There’s no hair from Holly that matches Holly to Mr. Adams’ house,”
Thompson said.

The 15 member jury is being sequestered. Three alternates will be chosen
after testimony concludes. The trial is expected to last two weeks.