Federal Sentence for Jason Autry
Jason Autry, a key witness in the high-profile Holly Bobo murder trial, has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison on unrelated federal weapons charges. Autry, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson in Jackson, Tennessee, on Monday, according to court records and a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Arrest and Conviction
Autry pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a weapon and ammunition after his arrest in December 2020. He attempted to flee from a sheriff’s deputy in a rural field, where the deputy discovered a Marlin rifle. Autry’s criminal record includes over 10 prior felony convictions in both state and federal courts.
Role in Holly Bobo Case
Autry gained national attention as a star witness in the 2017 trial of Zachary Adams. Adams was convicted of the murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape of Holly Bobo, a nursing student who disappeared from her family’s home in Parsons, Tennessee, in April 2011. Bobo’s remains were discovered in September 2014, more than three years after her disappearance, in woods near her home, about 100 miles southwest of Nashville.
National Attention and Legal Deal
The search for Bobo attracted national attention, with missing person flyers distributed across multiple states and extensive coverage by national news outlets. In exchange for his testimony, Autry received leniency, striking a deal with prosecutors. His calm, detailed, and graphic recounting of Bobo’s kidnapping, rape, and murder was pivotal in Adams’ conviction. Autry admitted to serving as a lookout as Adams fatally shot Bobo under a bridge near a river.
Previous Sentences and New Allegations
In the Bobo case, Hardin County Judge C. Creed McGinley sentenced Autry to eight years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping. However, Autry was arrested on the weapons charges just two months after his release from custody.
