The Holly Bobo Murder

I'm not sure this is where to put this but I couldn't find a thread re case of the 2011 murder of Holly Bobo.
There were several arrests and three convictions on the case and I'm currently watching the one prosecution that went to trial.
Anyway, I'm interested to know whether anyone is aware of the case or is familiar it and would share their thoughts.

Murder of Holly Bobo - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[GrandmaBear]

GrandmaBear, thanks for showing interest!
Holly's abduction occurred in the carport of her home at about 7am as she was leaving for nursing school.
The perp actually may not have thought the brother was home...I don't remember the circumstance in detail but as I recall, the brother testified that his vehicle wasn't parked where he'd been parking.
Anyway, the mother was aware that the boyfriend was out hunting, and a neighbor had called her at work and told her she'd heard a scream coming from their property. The brother hadn't heard a scream- just their dog barking and when he heard Holly's voice along with that of a male, he assumed the male was her boyfriend.

From what I gather, the perp walked Holly through the woods to a dirt road in the woods where he must have parked his vehicle.

Holly's phone data showed that the last activity was when the sim card was removed at 9:25am. (The phone and sim card were later found in separate locations.)
Other info is that the phone was stationary from 8:26am to 8:56am.

I had interest in this back when, it's just been a long time.

I guess I was always under the impression he/they were in the home and she was taken from the home. It would make more sense if she was leaving that she'd have her lunchbox and some things with her...

The bf was hunting on land nearby right, not on land of theirs? If he was confronted it would make sense he then left. I can't recall if his whereabouts were accounted for, I mean the brother did think that's who it was at first.

I've always wondered some about the brother, not that he did it really but the connection if any to these guys... Seemed to me there was one...? Or maybe I'm thinking about their claim they were going to show him how to make meth... That's quite often done in the woods of a property...

Have you run across any pics of the home and property? I know they existed back when but I can't recall them.

 

[Regina]

I had interest in this back when, it's just been a long time.

I guess I was always under the impression he/they were in the home and she was taken from the home. It would make more sense if she was leaving that she'd have her lunchbox and some things with her...

The bf was hunting on land nearby right, not on land of theirs? If he was confronted it would make sense he then left. I can't recall if his whereabouts were accounted for, I mean the brother did think that's who it was at first.

I've always wondered some about the brother, not that he did it really but the connection if any to these guys... Seemed to me there was one...? Or maybe I'm thinking about their claim they were going to show him how to make meth... That's quite often done in the woods of a property...

Have you run across any pics of the home and property? I know they existed back when but I can't recall them.

Yeah, as I recall from testimony, the boyfriend was hunting on the property adjacent and that it was Holly's grandmother's property and Holly's cousin who'd confronted the boyfriend.

Re the brother, I interpret everything he said he thought and did- or didn't do- shows consciousness of innocence. I think it shows that the idea that Holly was in their carport with anyone other than her boyfriend hadn't occurred to him and that her walking toward the woods with that person was an abduction was the farthest thing from his mind.
When his mother told him over the phone to shoot the man, he asked shoot Drew? He just hadn't comprehended what was actually happening, you know?

No, the brother didn't know any of those guys.

Re pics, none from what I saw of the trial or from the hearings so far, but by googling, I've come across a pics of the carport and of the bloodstains inside.

 

[Kimster]

Here is a link to Crimewatchers on the Wayback Machine if anyone knows how to use the old site and pull info from it.
@Kimster ?????.

free forum : CrimeWatchers

An interactive forum site where you can follow trials, crime, and criminal cases.

web.archive.org

I wish we could salvage our old data that was STOLEN by puckhead! But, that's not our site. It's another site that we've been aware of for quite some time. Thanks for trying!

 

[Tresir]

I wish we could salvage our old data that was STOLEN by puckhead! But, that's not our site. It's another site that we've been aware of for quite some time. Thanks for trying!

Ok I thought it was worth a try.

 

[Tresir]

I wish we could salvage our old data that was STOLEN by puckhead! But, that's not our site. It's another site that we've been aware of for quite some time. Thanks for trying!

Ok then I think this is your site. It has several "captures" of your site from 2025 back to 2001. Worth a look anyway.

https://web.archive.org/web/20250917164039/https://www.crimewatchers.net/

 

[GrandmaBear]

Yeah, as I recall from testimony, the boyfriend was hunting on the property adjacent and that it was Holly's grandmother's property and Holly's cousin who'd confronted the boyfriend.

Re the brother, I interpret everything he said he thought and did- or didn't do- shows consciousness of innocence. I think it shows that the idea that Holly was in their carport with anyone other than her boyfriend hadn't occurred to him and that her walking toward the woods with that person was an abduction was the farthest thing from his mind.
When his mother told him over the phone to shoot the man, he asked shoot Drew? He just hadn't comprehended what was actually happening, you know?

No, the brother didn't know any of those guys.

Re pics, none from what I saw of the trial or from the hearings so far, but by googling, I've come across a pics of the carport and of the bloodstains inside.

I am pretty certain I never watched anything of the trial.

Well, how is it they knew Holly? I mean to park through the woods and head to her house it would almost seem they'd know what time she was leaving no? And why her?

I don't necessarily think the brother is lying, I simply don't know. Yes, he did seem to assume it was the bf.

I guess I'm just wondering how it came about and why. Why her.

I do wish I recalled more.

 

[Regina]

I am pretty certain I never watched anything of the trial.

Well, how is it they knew Holly? I mean to park through the woods and head to her house it would almost seem they'd know what time she was leaving no? And why her?

I don't necessarily think the brother is lying, I simply don't know. Yes, he did seem to assume it was the bf.

I guess I'm just wondering how it came about and why. Why her.

I do wish I recalled more.

Holly's mother was Zach's 4th grade teacher but he didn't know Holly.

Yeah, the man was lying in wait!

I don't understand "why her", I mean, first, I'd think it's obvious that this was a sexually motivated crime.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Holly's mother was Zach's 4th grade teacher but he didn't know Holly.

Yeah, the man was lying in wait!

I don't understand "why her", I mean, first, I'd think it's obvious that this was a sexually motivated crime.

That's another thing--it took about three years before her body was found so were they able to determine she was raped other than by testimony of others? Not saying she wasn't or that that isn't true, and it probably was sexually motivated but there was no direct evidence was there? It was TN and she disappeared in April 2011 and was found in September 2014. That's four summers' worth of hot weather.

So he knew her or of her and laid in wait? Had to be stalking her then likely prior. To know she'd even appear that day I'd think, or that she existed. You say he didn't know her but on what basis do they know that? Not doubting you, just asking how. By the way, Parsons has a population of a little over 2,100, not very many people. Seems to deny logic that someone in the family wouldn't have known him, just based on the size of the town. It's just four square miles.

I forgot about the teaching part, but now that you mention it, it brings back recall of that.

 

[Regina]

That's another thing--it took about three years before her body was found so were they able to determine she was raped other than by testimony of others? Not saying she wasn't or that that isn't true, and it probably was sexually motivated but there was no direct evidence was there? It was TN and she disappeared in April 2011 and was found in September 2014. That's four summers' worth of hot weather.

So he knew her or of her and laid in wait? Had to be stalking her then likely prior. To know she'd even appear that day I'd think, or that she existed. You say he didn't know her but on what basis do they know that? Not doubting you, just asking how. By the way, Parsons has a population of a little over 2,100, not very many people. Seems to deny logic that someone in the family wouldn't have known him, just based on the size of the town. It's just four square miles.

I forgot about the teaching part, but now that you mention it, it brings back recall of that.

Well, I don't know what the public was aware of but testimony in the 2017 trial was that a volunteer searcher had found her panties on the side of a road two days later so hello, LE? (lol)

Zach said he didn't know her and all I know is that he and Holly lived in different worlds, worlds away from one another.

 

[Kimster]

Ok then I think this is your site. It has several "captures" of your site from 2025 back to 2001. Worth a look anyway.

https://web.archive.org/web/20250917164039/https://www.crimewatchers.net/

I don’t think so? If you look at the rules and guideline section, it’s dated February 2020. That’s when we had to do a restart here. Our old site started in 2015.

 

[Kimster]

I need to look deeper into the witness that has flipped their testimony. I haven’t done that yet.

 

[Tresir]

I don’t think so? If you look at the rules and guideline section, it’s dated February 2020. That’s when we had to do a restart here. Our old site started in 2015.

Ok i did a screenshot to show you what is says. They have 401 captures from April 2001 to Sep 2025. I haven't looked further but it looks like to me that you can go in and look at any of those captures. I just thought it might be helpful for just this Holly Bobo thread, that's all.


ETA i have looked a bit further and they do have some data captures from 2015. I tried to do a search of the 2015 captures but didnt really know what i was doing. I tried two searches for Holly but nothing came up. Do you remember offhand what year you began the Holly thread? I guess i could look at the 2017 captures, if that was when there was a trial.

 

[Kimster]

Ok i did a screenshot to show you what is says. They have 401 captures from April 2001 to Sep 2025. I haven't looked further but it looks like to me that you can go in and look at any of those captures. I just thought it might be helpful for just this Holly Bobo thread, that's all.

View attachment 27962
ETA i have looked a bit further and they do have some data captures from 2015. I tried to do a search of the 2015 captures but didnt really know what i was doing. I tried two searches for Holly but nothing came up. Do you remember offhand what year you began the Holly thread? I guess i could look at the 2017 captures, if that was when there was a trial.

I probably started it when we started the new forum in 2015 because it was a case that I followed closely at the time. I can't believe that was ten years ago!

 

[GrandmaBear]

Well, I don't know what the public was aware of but testimony in the 2017 trial was that a volunteer searcher had found her panties on the side of a road two days later so hello, LE? (lol)

Zach said he didn't know her and all I know is that he and Holly lived in different worlds, worlds away from one another.

i still think it's weird there was her lunchbox, phone and papers (receipt, note). i mean does a guy walk her or force her into the woods while she carries all her stuff as if going for a stroll down the sidewalk? odd. i mean AFTER they were kneeling in the carport? she picks her stuff up and just strolls along? this would seem then to be compliant and he was not forcing her to ditch her things and so on. phone could have been in her back pocket i suppose but not the rest.

yes, different worlds but HE says they didn't know each other, i never consider the person charged necessarily a font of truth. also, being aware of each other I consider different than "knowing" each other i guess. so i mean either when i say that.

yes their worlds were different but still, the area was small.

back when, i had little doubt of his guilt. it is a case with a lot of questions though.

 

[Kimster]

Oh just great...............


SAVANNAH, Tenn. (Court TV) — Zachary Adams’ former lead defense attorney told a Hardin County judge Friday she does not believe she was a competent, effective capital defender at his 2017 trial for the murder of Holly Bobo. She told the court she was depressed, overwhelmed, buried in an electronic discovery dump and facing a hostile judge she believes was determined to secure a conviction.

Attorney admits being 'depressed' and 'overwhelmed' in Zach Adams' bid for new trial

Zach Adams' trial attorney listed multiple failures she said led to his guilty conviction as Adams pushes for a new murder trial.

www.courttv.com

 

[Tresir]

Because i know nothing about the history of this case, i am posting a Reddit link that gives some background.

 

[Regina]

i still think it's weird there was her lunchbox, phone and papers (receipt, note). i mean does a guy walk her or force her into the woods while she carries all her stuff as if going for a stroll down the sidewalk? odd. i mean AFTER they were kneeling in the carport? she picks her stuff up and just strolls along? this would seem then to be compliant and he was not forcing her to ditch her things and so on. phone could have been in her back pocket i suppose but not the rest.

yes, different worlds but HE says they didn't know each other, i never consider the person charged necessarily a font of truth. also, being aware of each other I consider different than "knowing" each other i guess. so i mean either when i say that.

yes their worlds were different but still, the area was small.

back when, i had little doubt of his guilt. it is a case with a lot of questions though.

I suppose he thought that if those items were left behind, what had actually happened would be sooner apparent, in other words, it was to buy time.

 

[Regina]

Re the kneeling in the carport, a neighbor had been outside and had heard Holly screaming (he'd heard her scream "no" repeatedly along with something else I don't recall) and he drove over to the end of the Bobo's driveway and called his mother (who knew Holly's mother and how to reach her) and so it might be that the perp saw the neighbor and that's the reason for the kneeling.

 

[Guess Who]

Were the doors to the home locked? Did the brother hear a knock? So much not covered and I don't recall.

That's what always gets me when they say "no forced every so the victim must have let the perp in" in so many cases, when many people don't lock their doors or only lock them at night. Not necessarily being the case here, but a general observation.

 

[Kimster]

That's what always gets me when they say "no forced every so the victim must have let the perp in" in so many cases, when many people don't lock their doors or only lock them at night. Not necessarily being the case here, but a general observation.

True. The deputies that I know have said it blows their mind how many people leave their houses and cars unlocked. And even people that leave a firearm in the glove compartment! It’s nuts.