Attorney of Zach Adams, defendant in the case of murdered Holly Bobo, talked to NewsChannel 5 in an exclusive interview about his client and DNA evidence in the case.
Zach Adams said he did not kill Holly Bobo. If convicted, he knows he'll face the death penalty, but unlike his codefendant Adams will not cut a plea deal.
Zach Adams has become the prime target for the prosecution and will stand trial first in the Holly Bobo murder case.
He's not looking for a plea deal and his attorney doubts the evidence against him.
"The state has been very clear in their discussions with me that there is no DNA that links Holly Bobo to Zachery Adams," said Jennifer Thompson.
She knew her client's life depends on it. She has kept a photo of Adams near her desk - a daily reminder that he faces execution if convicted of killing Bobo.
"So there's no DNA that matches. The state told you that. Yes, and I'm comfortable that's accurate," said Thompson.
The state has not commented publicly. Thompson too tends to keep a low profile. This was her first interview since agreeing to defend Adams and she feels it's time to speak out.
Thompson knew one co-defendant, Jason Autry, appeared to have cut a deal to testify against Adams.
She said she wouldn't have been surprised if Zach's brother Dylan enters a plea too. She suspected he and Autry feared the possibility of the death penalty.
"It has to be absolutely nerve-wracking for a defendant," said Thompson. But she and her client are preparing for trial -- with no thought to a plea deal.
"He's maintained his innocence," she said. But Thompson says there are problems.
Just two months before trial, she said the defense still doesn't have all the discovery evidence -- something that could lead to a delay.
"The state has some things that we don't have that we know we don't have and the state has some things we don't even know to ask for," said Thompson.
She said she would need it all to prepare for a trial that her client is ready to face.
"He's in a small cell 23 hours a day and keep in mind he's a person not convicted of a crime yet," said Thompson.
It's a good bet she'll be filing several more motions between now and trial.
She said she may ask for more time, but the judge has made it clear that he's set on that April 3 start date. Prosecutors have not yet filed paperwork on any plea deals.
But Jason Autry's attorney has told the judge he won't be needing a trial date.
