Holly Bobo: Settlement on Sentence- Life Without Parole Plus 50 Years

 

 

Article by W. Clay Crook-

It is Saturday morning, September 23rd.  The morning is clear and bright, but many perhaps dreaded another draw out hearing as the jury convened for a sentencing trail for Zachary Adams in the Holly Bobo case. Time moved past the starting time at 10:00 a.m. with no word on the cause of delay. At 10:27 a.m., the court was convened and Judge McGinley remained standing for a moment. The attorneys continued to shuffle back and forth and the judge began to speak, informing the court of a settlement agreement between the prosecution and the defense.  The rape charges were merged into a  25 year  consecutive sentence; the  kidnapping charges were merged into a 25 year consecutive sentence; and finally, the murder charges merged: life without possibility of parole plus fifty years.

Adams stood for the judge to question him on involuntariness, to which he agreed. The jury was brought in at 10:32 a.m. to hear the agreement.

“Would it hurt your feelings if you didn’t have to spend today and possibly tomorrow afternoon with me?,” he began to the jury and then announced to the jury the terms of the agreement. “Part of this agreement, which has been reached with a certain amount of reluctance, I think, but is to your benefit…part of this agreement is that the prosecution will be allowed to call a witness to speak on what is called victim impact. The state may call Ms. Karen Bobo at this time.”

District Attorney Jennifer Nichols approached the witness stand. “The judge just told about the agreement just being reached with some reluctance. If this had gone forward you would have had the opportunity to speak on impact. I want you to take a few minutes…” but the mother of Holly Bobo did not need time to gather the words that had been bunched so long in her heart.

Ms. Bobo turned her head slightly to the left, so that she could look with her expressive eyes into the eyes of the sitting jurors. “There is much more about Holly that you would want to know, she was the sweetest soul that I have ever known. From an early age in life I could see that in her, she appreciated the small things in life. She would look over and say have you ever noticed as the beautiful things that God has made in life?” “I’m a country girl and wouldn’t have it any other way. I love God and I am a Christian.” “All of those things were taken from her, from us…The decision that was made this morning had nothing to do with that animal, but with the future of our family, if we are ever to find just a little joy. I want Mr. Adams to look at me,” she said, speaking about how Holly must have fought for her life, and how Adams showed no remorse.

This part of the journey for justice in the life of the Bobo family is now ended.

For the complete story, see the September 27th edition of The Lexington Progress.

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