MEMPHIS, Tenn — Jason Autry, the star witness in the Holly Bobo murder trial, has been sentenced to more than 23 years in federal prison for a firearm offense.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Autry, a 16-time convicted felon, was in possession of a rifle, a handgun, and ammunition on December 3, 2020. At the time of his arrest, the DOJ said he had been on federal supervised release after getting out of prison on September 16, 2020.
Autry had been released from prison after his eight-year sentence on charges of solicitation of first-degree murder and facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping expired in the Bobo case.
According to the DOJ, 25 days after being released, Autry had in his possession a stolen 9mm pistol, and within 78 days of his release he also had a rifle and ammunition.
Autry pleaded guilty to three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition on Nov. 22, 2022. He was sentenced June 24, 2024, to 279 months (23.25 years). There is no parole in the federal system.
The DOJ said Autry had previously been convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm from an incident in Decatur County, Tennessee, on January 15, 2012.
Nursing student Holly Bobo disappeared from her rural home in Parsons in 2011. Bobo's remains were found more than three years after a massive search of woods, fields and farms.
Autry gave graphic testimony against his friend Zachary Adams, including details about drug use and Bobo’s kidnapping, rape, and murder. Autry told the jury he served as a lookout as Adams shot Bobo under a bridge near a river.
Autry’s testimony helped to convict Adams at his 2017 trial. Adams was sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. Six years later, court records indicated Autry was recanting his testimony, claiming he made it up to avoid life in prison.
The Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld Adams' conviction in 2022. But a sparsely used legal filing emerged this past January, when Adams asked a Hardin County judge for a new trial based on the statements made by Autry. A hearing was held in early June 2024 on Adam’s petition. The judge has not ruled in the case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
