More than 50 witnesses have already testified in the Holly Bobo murder trial. Tuesday, the defense tried to poke holes in the prosecution’s case.
Zach Adams in on trial for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of the 20-year-old nursing student from Decatur county, about 120 miles east of Memphis.
A former lead TBI investigator was on the stand a good portion of the day. He told jurors he ruled out Adams as a suspect early on.
“The determination I made was he couldn’t have been involved in the kidnapping,” testified Terry Dicus.
Dicus told the jury Zach Adams and the names of others charged with the murder came up as possible suspects early on, and kept coming up over and over. But Dicus said after checking them out he came to this conclusion. “That I was wasting my time investigating these idiots.”
Dicus then detailed the long list of other people the TBI looked into and also ruled out as suspects. Dicus told the jury, the investigation did focus on Terry Britt, a convicted sex offender, who he said had a shaky alibi, and whose phone and home the TBI ended up bugging.
“We kept getting information about him stalking other girls around the same time as the Holly Bobo disappearance… I checked his alibi out and found out it was garbage.”
Dicus was pulled off the Bobo case in 2013. On cross examination prosecutors made the point, a lot has happened with the case since then. Dicus testified on the stand he was not aware that Zach Adams had reportedly confessed on two different occasions.
“This case was unlike any other case I’ve experienced in my life. Zach Adams, people running their mouth,” said Dicus.
Dick Adams, the grandfather of Zach Adams, also took the stand Tuesday afternoon. He testified he did not know if Zach Adams was involved, but also answered “no” when asked if he would have told if he did know.
Dick Adams told jurors his white Nissan truck that his grandson Zach had been driving was hidden at a friend’s property for several weeks before and after Bobo’s disappearance.
Earlier in the trial Jason Autry testified that Bobo’s body had been in the back of a white truck when she was shot.
Dick Adams said Zach wasn’t supposed to be driving it. A family friend, Billy Bell, said he saw the white truck at his parent’s house for several weeks
“Every time I pulled up to feed my dogs it was on the property,” testified Bell.
The defense is expected to wrap Wednesday, and closing arguments will begin after that.
