Holly's ex-wife denies police pressure

Holly
Holly

BENTONVILLE -- Amanda Hines-Britner denied police used her to pressure her former husband into talking with them about the murder of 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman.

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Hines-Britner was married to Zachary Holly, who is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing the Bentonville girl. Her body was found Nov. 20, 2012, in an abandoned house near her home.

Holly, 30, is charged with capital murder, rape, kidnapping and residential burglary. He previously pleaded innocent to the charges.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Holly's attorneys filed a motion to suppress statements he gave to police. The attorneys claim police used Hines-Britner as an agent in order to pressure her husband into talking with police.

Holly's interviews haven't been played in court, but attorneys previously have talked about a confession during the proceedings.

Circuit Judge Brad Karren ruled Thursday that Hines-Britner wasn't acting on behalf of the police when she gave her former husband an ultimatum to talk with police and take a polygraph test. The judge found Hines-Britner's actions were motivated because of her belief in Holly's innocence and she wanted her son back in the couple's home.

The judge's ruling clears the way for prosecutors to use Holly's statements as evidence during his May jury trial.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin May 8.

Hines-Britner said Thursday afternoon she knew Holly for about 15 years before they married in 2012.

She said she talked with police at least five or six times in a span of a week after the child's body was found in an abandoned house next to her home.

According to Hines-Britner, police told her Holly was a suspect in the crime. She took a polygraph and a detective again told her Holly was a suspect, Hines-Britner said.

Hines-Britner said she called police Nov. 23, 2012, after seeing a strange man walking in her yard. A detective came to her home and asked her why Holly wasn't cooperating. The detective also wanted to know whether Holly trusted her, Hines-Britner said.

She later talked with Holly. "I told him he had one or two choices," Hines-Britner said. "Take the polygraph and clear his name or I take my son and leave him."

Hines-Britner denied when questioned by Robby Golden, one of Holly's attorneys, police asked her to talk with her husband and convince him to speak with police.

Nathan Smith, Benton County's prosecutor, asked Hines-Britner why she wanted Holly to speak with police.

"At that time I believed wholeheartedly in his innocence and I wanted my son at home," she said.

Hines-Britner said her son went to school and he knew Jersey was missing. Her mother and a detective went to school and checked her son out and he was questioned at the Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County, Hines-Britner said.

Her son stayed with her mother that week and Hines-Britner wanted him back home, she said.

Two Bentonville police detectives denied asking Hines-Britner to pressure Holly into talking to police.

One of the detectives, J.C. Wiseman, said Hines-Britner wanted Holly to talk because she believed in his innocence.

Kris Moffit, the other detective, said he explained to Hines-Britner police couldn't ask her to do anything because she would be acting as their agent. Moffit said Hines-Britner wanted Holly to cooperate so he could clear himself.

Holly's next court appearance will be 9 a.m. March 3 and the hearing will deal with issues concerning jury selection.

Holly lived next to Jersey's family on Southeast A Street. He and his wife sometimes babysat Jersey and her younger sister, according to court documents.

A medical examiner determined Jersey died from asphyxia, according to court documents. Jersey's body was found in an abandoned house next to Holly 's home on Southeast A Street.

Holly is being held in the Benton County Jail without bond.

Holly is being held in the Benton County Jail without bond.

Tracy M. Neal can be reached by email at [email protected] or Twitter @NWATracy.

NW News on 02/21/2015

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