BENTONVILLE — The results of two court-ordered mental evaluations could be released Thursday when the Bentonville man accused of raping and killing a 6-year-old girl appears in court.
Zachary Dewayne Holly, 28, is charged in connection with capital murder, kidnapping, rape and residential burglary in connection with the abduction and killing of Jersey Bridgeman. Holly was arrested Nov. 26. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Holly is being held in the Benton County Jail without bond. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Holly is scheduled to appear in court 8:30 a.m. Thursday for a mental status hearing.
Defense attorneys requested a mental evaluation for Holly using their own expert, Patricia Walz. The evaluation was done at Arkansas State Hospital in Little Rock in June. An initial mental evaluation on Holly has been completed. The results were sealed and have not been discussed in court. Circuit Judge Brad Karren also ordered results of the second evaluation be sealed.
Jersey was reported missing from her home on the morning of Nov. 20.
Bentonville police officers Travis Nichols and Mike Henson found Jersey’s body in the closet of an abandoned house at 704 S.E. A St., just south of Holly’s mobile home. Holly lived at 702 S.E. A St., next door to Jersey’s home at 608 S.E. A St.
A medical examiner determined Jersey died from asphyxia, according to court records.
DesaRae Bridgeman told police her daughter was with Holly and his wife while she was at work, according to court documents. Holly carried Jersey while Bridgeman carried her other daughter home after work, according to court documents.They placed the girls in the same bed, according to the affidavit.
Bridgeman discovered Jersey missing when she woke shortly after 6:30 a.m. Police officers found Jersey’s body in the abandoned house a short time later.
At A Glance
Also In Court
Perry Davis, who is accused of killing his wife, also is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a mental status hearing. Davis, 50, is charged with capital murder and is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
Police believe Davis shot himself after shooting his wife, Kelly, on Aug. 19. Police were called to the couple’s Bentonville home for a domestic disturbance. Kelly Davis’ body was found in the home after police entered almost five hours after the initial 911 call. Police found Perry Davis on the master bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to his face.
Perry Davis was hospitalized for several weeks because of the gunshot to his head. Court documents state he has a prefrontal lobe injury from the wound, is now blind and has retrograde amnesia.
Case proceedings were suspended in April so Perry Davis could undergo a mental evaluation at Arkansas State Hospital.
Source: Staff Report