No bail for suspect in killing of girl, 6

Defendant’s next court date is Jan. 7

Deputies escort Zachary Holly to a patrol car Wednesday after a bail hearing at the Benton County Courthouse in Bentonville. Holly is charged in the death of Jersey Bridgeman, 6.
Deputies escort Zachary Holly to a patrol car Wednesday after a bail hearing at the Benton County Courthouse in Bentonville. Holly is charged in the death of Jersey Bridgeman, 6.
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— The Bentonville man charged in the death of a 6-year-old girl will remain in jail after Circuit Judge Robin Green ordered him held without bail Wednesday.

Jersey Bridgeman died from asphyxia, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Zachary Holly, 28, was arrested Monday and charged with capital murder, kidnapping and residential burglary. Prosecutors later added a charge of rape.

Holly’s arrest came after a nearly week-long investigation into Jersey’s death. Holly lives at 702 S.E. A St., next door to Jersey’s home at 608 S.E. A St.

An aff idavit released Wednesday — with some information redacted — gave the first information about how Jersey died and how police developed Holly as a suspect.

On Nov. 20, DesaRae Bridgeman told police that her daughter Jersey had been with Zachary Holly and his wife, Amanda, while she was at work. The couple would often baby-sit Jersey and her younger sister when DesaRae Bridgeman and her boyfriend were at work, according to the affidavit.

When Bridgeman returned home from work, Zachary Holly carried Jersey back to her home while Bridgeman carried her other daughter, and they placed the girls in the same bed, the affidavit states.

Bridgeman discovered Jersey was missing from the bed when she woke up shortly after 6:30 a.m., according to court documents.

Bentonville police received a call at 6:43 a.m. about a missing child, the affidavit states.

Police searched the Bridgeman and Holly homes and could not locate the child, the affidavit states.

During the search, Bentonville police officer Travis Nichols noticed the door to 704 S.E. A St., just south of the Hollys’ mobile home, was open. He and officer Mike Henson looked inside and found Jersey’s body on the floor of a bedroom closet, the affidavit states.

Holly told police that he woke up at 3:35 a.m. Nov. 20 with an upset stomach and walked to an E-Z Mart at Southwest Eighth and A streets to get medication, according to court documents. Police obtained a video from the store and sales tape showing Holly was at the store and made the purchase. Bridgeman’s live-in boyfriend, Brandon Crouch, worked the overnight shift at the store, according to court documents.

Holly denied having anything to do with the girl’s disappearance or death when questioned by police, according to the affidavit. Holly was described as being cooperative and provided detectives with cheek swabs for DNA comparison purposes. Holly also gave detectives the clothing he said he had been wearing since he went to bed the night of Nov. 19, the affidavit states.

Portions of the affidavit where DNA results may have been discussed were redacted from the affidavit. Police interviewed Holly again and those details also were redacted from the affidavit.

Benton County prosecutor Van Stone asked that Holly be held without bail. Holly’s defense attorneys told Green that they wanted to reserve the issue of bail for later but didn’t contest that there was probable cause to hold their client.

Madison Aydelott III with the Arkansas Public Defender Commission, and Benton County Chief Public Defender Jay Saxton represent Holly.

Holly’s arraignment is set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 7. He could be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole if convicted. The punishment for kidnapping and rape is 10 to 40 years or life in prison. However, Holly faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted of raping someone 13 or younger. He faces five to 20 years in prison if convicted of residential burglary.

Information for this article was contributed by Misty Gittings and Teresa Moss of NWA Media.

Arkansas, Pages 11 on 11/29/2012

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