BENTONVILLE -- Defense attorneys for a Bentonville man accused of raping and killing a 6-year-old girl plan to call at least two caseworkers to testify about his abusive childhood.
Zachary Holly, 29, is charged with capital murder, rape, kidnapping and residential burglary in connection with 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman's death in 2012. Holly, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Jury selection will begin Nov. 3.
Jersey's body was found Nov. 20, 2012, in an abandoned house next to Holly's home.
Holly lived next to Jersey's family on Southwest A Street. He and his wife sometimes babysat Jersey and her younger sister. A medical examiner determined Jersey died from asphyxia, according to court documents.
Holly's defense team will investigate his childhood to develop mitigating evidence for any potential penalty phase of the trial, according to court documents.
Holly spent much of his childhood in Bakersfield and Oildale, Calif, according to court documents. Holly and his siblings were the subjects of numerous abuse and neglect referrals to the Kern County, Calif., Department of Human Services, the defense team has learned.
The Kern County office has supplied Holly's attorneys with more than 300 pages of reports, summaries and other documents generated by at least 12 caseworkers and supervisors in connection with at least 14 referrals involving Holly, according to court documents.
The reports span 1993 to 1997, according to court documents.
Court documents don't reveal specific details of any abuse that involved Holly, but they claim the DHS reports that involved Holly and his family paint a graphic picture of childhood abuse and neglect.
Kent McLemore, one of Holly's attorneys, said he couldn't yet reveal any details of the abuse that concerns Holly.
Margarita Soza and Jana Davis were caseworkers with the Kern County Department of Human Services. They were involved in the child abuse reports that involve Holly, according to court documents. Both women could be called as witnesses for Holly during any possible penalty phase at trial.
Soza, who's now a supervisor with Kern County, prepared multiple reports about her contact with Holly and his family. Her reports date back to 1993 and involve some of the most serious allegations of abuse that concern Holly, according to court documents.
Davis was a caseworker for Kern County DHS who was assigned to Holly and his family. Davis submitted 19 reports in response to abuse and neglect referrals that involved Holly, according to court documents.
A suppression hearing is scheduled in Benton County Circuit Court on Friday. Holly's attorneys want to to suppress statements he gave to police. They claim Holly wasn't aware of his Constitutional rights before he talked with police.
NW News on 07/30/2014