Former lead TBI agent testifies for defense; says Zach Adams didn’t kidnap Holly Bobo

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — Day eight in the Holly Bobo murder trial unfolded Tuesday morning as the defense questioned the one-time lead Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent in the case.

Terry Dicus, a former TBI agent who was the first on the case, took the stand.

“Zach Adams’ name came up very early in the investigation,” Dicus said.

Dicus described going through different people they thought could be suspects.

“A citizen in Decatur County had already found some items that we know are Holly’s on this road, Yellow Springs Road, in Decatur County, so that piqued our interest even more in Mr. [Shayne] Austin and this whole crew,” Dicus said.

Dicus said his crews took action searching Austin’s property.

“They searched it. They gave him consent to search and they went all the way through his trailer,” Dicus said.

Dicus says they also searched Zach Adams’ home.

He eventually came to a decision about Zach Adams.

“The determination I made is that he could not have been involved in the kidnapping,” Dicus said.

He says there are several reasons he believes Adams is not behind the death of Holly Bobo, one relating to cell phones and pings.

“His cellphone at 8:28 is hitting off a tower that’s several miles from the tower Holly’s phone was hitting off of at 8:26 a.m.,” Dicus said.

He says he even talked to Adams’ then-girlfriend Rebecca Earp and came to another conclusion.

“That I as wasting my time,” Dicus said. “Wasting my time investigating these idiots.”

The state questioned Dicus about why his department didn’t further investigate Adams and the other defendants in the case and why they focused on other leads.

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“We did everything,” Dicus said. “We got everything we could possibly get on anybody that came up. ‘This guy, he needs to be looked at.’ We got him.”

Dicus talked about eight or nine potential suspects in the Holly Bobo case.

“She was kidnapped at 7:45 a.m. Her phone is moving at 8. Her phone, that we can tell, is disassembled between 9:12 and 9:40,” Dicus said.

Dicus says from the beginning his team had word of Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, Shayne Austin and Jason Autry, but he believes they weren’t the ones behind the disappearance of Holly Bobo.

“I’m trying to put together a puzzle, and if I find five pieces that don’t fit, I’m done. Or two pieces that don’t fit. I’m done. It’s not this person,” Dicus said.

While on stand, the defense focused their questions for Dicus on other suspects in the case, including Holly’s brother, Clint.

“A lot of people thought it was strange that it took him a few minutes to react to it,” Dicus said.

Dicus says Clint was only a suspect for a short time before focus moved elsewhere.

“I’m going crazy, but I have Ms. Karen [Bobo] telling me you better check out ‘Chester the molester,’ and the same time I talk to Natalie Bobo [Holly’s cousin], and she tells me ‘Chester the Molester’ is Terry Britt,” Dicus said.

Dicus says Britt and his wife, Jan, were top suspects for a long period of time. He says he questioned Britt about the day Holly disappeared.

“I checked his alibi and found out it was garbage,” Dicus said.

Dicus says the Britt’s phone was tapped and at some point both were cleared. Dicus says his team made a discovery after searching the property.

“A shovel, a couple of hammers and an ax in the sheds, and the dogs alerted to them as being around the scent of being around human decomposition, and two cars alerted to that as well,” Dicus said.

Dicus says he was moved off the case in 2013.