TN Man Accused of Killing Holly Bobo Seeks to Overturn His Murder Conviction | Crime Alert 12PM 11.20.25

Zach Adams is one of three men charged in Holly Bobo’s 2011 murder. His brother Dylan and Jason Autry took plea deals. Adams now hopes a judge will grant him a new trial.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime a Lord hourly update, Breaking crime news Now. I'm
Nicole Parton. A Tennessee man convicted in the high profile
murder of nursing student Holly Bobo is back in court
this week fighting to overturn his conviction. Zach Adams was
sentenced in twenty seventeen. He's expected to continue on the
witness stand today, where he's been testifying about past crimes

(00:23):
and drug use. On the day Holly was murdered, could
have been I don't remember though, Okay, did you do
you recall getting in a fight with Shane Austin that day?
I did, okay? And where did that take place?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
There was a Doug in Dottie Cooley's house, okay.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
And so did you see mister Dinsmore there? I did?
And who was with.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
You at the time, Jason, Audrey Shaney and my brother
was in the back and it was and I was driving,
was in Dylan's pick up.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
And what was the purpose of you guys going to
see mister Dinsmore.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Mister Dinsmore was a connection divine about morphrame for Maiam
and at this time Jason or Shane that they couldn't
access Victory to buy morphrame for maim so I was
the kind of the go between. I would buy morphain
and distribute tone.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
On Wednesday, the court revisited how the original case was built.
Testimony came from a retired Memphis police officer, a Shelby
County prosecutor, and a former TBI agent, all shedding light
on the twist and turns of the investigation. Retired officer
Dennis Benjamin told the court he joined the case in
twenty thirteen after a call from Holly's mother, describing the

(01:38):
investigation at the time as quote a mess. Jurors heard
a twenty fourteen recording of Benjamin pressuring a witness, even
warning him about possible death penalty charges. Benjamin admitted his
tactics were sometimes fishing and blowing smoke. Next on the
stand was Prosecutor Paul Hagerman, who helped secure Adam's conviction.

(02:00):
Hagerman said the state relied heavily on Jason Altree's testimony
to explain its theory of the crime. Autrey later received
a reduced sentence, but Hagerman denied any secret deal, saying
cooperation was considered at sentencing. Defense attorneys also raised questions
about new evidence. A bank ATM video that may conflict

(02:21):
with Autrey's timeline. Hagerman said he likely reviewed the clip
before the trial, but couldn't remember. Finally, former TBI agent
Valerie Trout testified about early leads, including wiretaps on another suspect,
and internal tensions within the bureau. Trout said she believed
the case against Adams was strong, but criticized some investigative practices,

(02:43):
calling one agent sloppy and questioning his truthfulness. Adams is
one of three men charged in Holly Bobo's twenty eleven murder.
His brother, Dylan and Jason Autrey took plea deals. Adams
now hopes a judge will grant him a new trial.
Holli Bobo did disappeared at her home while she was
preparing to leave for nursing school. More crime and justice

(03:07):
news after this. A grandmother is behind bars after driving
under the influence. Julia Vega, seventy three, has been arrested
one month after police said she was drunk while driving
her SUV with her best friend as a passenger. Local

(03:27):
NBC affiliate WTVJ has obtained newly released footage from the
night of the incident, including body camera recordings that captured
the woman asking police, did my friend die? According to
the arrest Affidavid, Vega managed to escape her sinking vehicle
through the driver's side window. They crashed into a pond
she was driving erratically. Police were already on the scene

(03:50):
when she called for help, and officers were able to
throw her a rope and pull her to safety. Tragically,
her friend was not as fortunate. After the suv was
fully submerged, rescue teams retrieved the woman's body from the vehicle,
but she still had a faint pulse. She was taken
to the hospital, where she ultimately died from her injuries.
In the body camera footage, while police questioned Vega in

(04:13):
the parking lot, she can be heard saying did she die?
Did my friend die? At that moment, the officer could
not provide her with the answer. Vega was read her
Miranda rights and requested an attorney. Officers noted that she
was slurring her words, stumbling on the ground, and her
eyes were blood shot and watery. When informed that she
would be asked to take a fielled sobriety test, she insisted,

(04:35):
I'm not drunk. We only had wine. We were just
down here at Cooper's Hawk and had some wine. The
footage also shows her questioning why do you keep me
here so long? Why are you doing this to me
in front of everybody. After failing the sobriety test, she
was ordered to provide a blood sample. Toxicology reports later
revealed that her blood alcohol level was zero point one

(04:57):
four eight, nearly double the legal limit of zero point
zero eight. Additionally, she had XENX in her system at
the time. WTVJ reported that Vega and her friends children
were married to each other. Hilton Napoleon. Vega's defense attorney
released a statement saying miss Vega and the victim were
best friends who also shared grandchildren. This incident has resulted

(05:20):
in a devastating loss for the entire family. Vega has
been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. Jail records
indicate she is not currently held in the county facility.
Court documents so she posted bond fifty thousand dollars. She
set to return to court on December twenty nine. For
the latest crime injustice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update

(05:42):
on your favorite podcasting out with this crime Alert. I'm
Nicole Partin