New developments have been made in the Holly Bobo murder case.
Attorneys for suspect Zach Adams have demanded that Judge Creed McGinley recuse himself from the case. They argued the judge has had improper ex parte -- excluding the defense -- communications with the prosecution.
They also claimed the judge has made several comments indicating that he believes Adams is guilty and has encouraged Adams to plead guilty.
Could A Co-Defendant Cut A Plea Deal?
Here is an excerpt from the defense motion filed with the court:
"According to information received from both the State and attorneys for Mr. Jason Autry, Autry recently attended a two-day proffer session. The proffer session apparently caused the State to abandon its long held theory of the case for a new yarn spun by Autry. Apparently, in exchange for a favorable plea deal, where he expects to receive very little jail time, Mr. Autry told the State a version of events that differed greatly from the State's existing theory of the case. The State's previous theory having been propped up almost entirely by the farfetched story told by co-defendant and current State's witness, Dylan Adams."
Adams, his brother, Dylan, and Jason Autry have all been charged with kidnapping, rape and 1st degree murder of Bobo. All three face the death penalty, if convicted.
Zach Adams will stand trial first on April 3. The prosecution and Autry's attorney have not commented on the motion. Prosecutors also have not talked about their trial strategy.
But one theory on what happened to Holly Bobo is as follows:
"Zach and Autry planned to kidnap and rob Holly for money to get drugs. They took Holly to Zach's house. She didn't have much money so Autry got mad and started beating on Holly. He, Zach and Dylan proceeded to sexually assault Holly before shooting her. Then they dumped her body by some woods close to Zach's house."
In an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5 back in 2014 Autry denied having anything to do with Bobo's disappearance. Now he may be telling a different story to prosecutors.
What Does This All Mean?
For one, it could lead to yet another delay on a case that dates back to 2011. It also raises questions about the possibility of plea deals. We should learn more at a hearing on Wednesday.
