In 2015, a jury sentenced Zachary Holly to death for the murder of 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman. Over a decade later, he’s still trying to overturn the jury’s ruling.
BENTON COUNTY, Arkansas — The case of Zachary Holly, the Benton County man sentenced to death for killing a young girl in 2012, is set for oral arguments in front of the Arkansas Supreme Court this week. Here’s what to know about the case.
On Nov. 20, 2012, 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman’s body was found in a vacant Bentonville house not long after her mother reported her missing. Holly and his wife had been babysitting her that night, as they were next-door neighbors.
Prosecutors said Holly, 28 years old, kidnapped Jersey sometime after midnight, then proceeded to rape her and strangle her to death.
After lengthy legal proceedings, a Benton County jury found Holly guilty of the crimes and sentenced him to death on May 27, 2015.
Seeking to escape the death penalty, Holly directly appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction.
He then sought post-conviction relief, claiming his trial lawyers were ineffective counsel who failed to adequately present evidence of childhood abuse and its long-term mental health effects. This effort also fell short.
Now 41 years old, Holly’s continuing effort to escape the death penalty is headed for oral arguments in front of the Arkansas Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. Each side in the case will have 20 minutes to present arguments.
Since his conviction, Holly has been residing within the Arkansas prison system, most recently known to be housed at the Varner Supermax facility.
Arkansas Department of Corrections records show Holly has been the subject of multiple disciplinary violations in the years he’s spent in prison, including destruction of property, trafficking and trading, sexual threat, insolence to staff, and unauthorized use of state property.
Holly is currently one of 23 people on death row in the Natural State. An execution has not been performed in the state since April 2017. The last execution with a convict from Benton County was August 1996.
Even if the death sentence were overturned, prison time would still be possible for the murder charge, and Holly was already sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and rape of Jersey, with an additional 240 months for residential burglary.
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