Overview of S9 Ep5: S9, The State v. Dylan Adams – Episode 3 – The Devil You Know
This episode focuses on Terry Britt as the alternate suspect who, according to the hosts, was strongly pointed to by the evidence in the Holly Bobo case long before the investigation shifted elsewhere. The episode argues that law enforcement had a substantial trail of physical, behavioral, and timeline evidence suggesting Britt’s involvement in Holly’s abduction and murder, but that the case was derailed by tunnel vision, shaky alibi work, and a later prosecutorial pivot.
Main Theme: “The Devil You Know”
The episode opens with two sayings about “the devil”:
- “The devil is in the details” — small unresolved facts can unravel an entire case.
- “Better the devil you know” — investigators may cling to one suspect rather than keep evaluating others.
That framing is used to critique how police handled the Holly Bobo investigation, especially their focus on Britt and later removal of investigators who believed he was the culprit.
Why Terry Britt Became the Focus
The hosts walk through why Britt stood out immediately after Holly disappeared:
- He was a registered, violent sex offender with a long history of rape, sexual battery, kidnapping, and harassment.
- He matched Clint Bobo’s description of the man in camo:
- around 6'0"
- about 200 pounds
- shoulder-length dark hair
- a gravely, smoker’s voice
- Law enforcement also found that Britt was not excluded as the source of the palm print on Holly’s Mustang hood, a major piece of evidence near the blood at the carport.
- Clint later gave an 80% confidence identification of Britt’s voice in an audio lineup.
Other Suspicious Evidence Pointing to Britt
The episode lays out a large amount of circumstantial evidence:
- Porn search history on Britt’s computer included searches for:
- “rape”
- “abducted”
- “kidnapped”
- Cadaver dogs alerted at Britt’s house, vehicles, and shed.
- Investigators found blonde hairs in a van, including one attached to duct tape and rope debris, described as consistent with Holly’s hair.
- Britt’s shed contained:
- newspaper clippings of Holly
- another girl who looked similar to Holly
- Multiple women reported that Britt had been stalking them, and most fit a pattern:
- blonde hair
- blue eyes
- attractive appearance
- One woman told investigators that Britt had followed her home; another said she looked so much like Holly that police had mistaken her for Holly.
Britt’s Alibi Problems
The episode spends a lot of time dismantling Britt’s claimed alibi.
The “bathtub” story
Britt and his wife Janet said they left home to buy a bathtub because theirs was leaking. But the timeline doesn’t line up:
- Janet was initially said to have left work around 10:30 a.m.
- Later, Britt shifted his story to say they left closer to 8-ish
- Police observed Britt and Janet returning home with the tub around 3:00–3:30 p.m.
- A check of the salvage store did not confirm the alleged purchase through its copy of the receipt
Cell phone timeline
The episode also notes that Britt denied having a cell phone, but records showed:
- he and Janet both had prepaid Walmart cell phones
- they added 1,000 minutes shortly before Holly disappeared
- Britt’s phone activity placed key calls around:
- 12:17 p.m. — the point when he said he first learned of the abduction
- 12:20–12:21 p.m. — a call to Janet, which the hosts argue was used to build an alibi
The hosts argue that Britt’s alibi was not a true alibi for the relevant time window and appears to have been assembled after the fact.
The Wiretap and Britt’s Recorded Statements
A major portion of the episode deals with the extraordinary step of bugging Britt’s house and wiretapping his phone.
What the recordings suggested
According to the testimony discussed:
- Britt and Janet seemed to realize law enforcement might be listening
- They discussed the Holly Bobo case in a way that sounded like rehearsing an alibi
- Britt allegedly said things like:
- he had done “a lot of bad shit”
- but “I didn’t touch this Bobo bitch”
- On another recording, Britt allegedly told a U.S. Marshal:
- “Sounds like you have it all figured out. I’ll plead to it and you can close the case.”
- The hosts emphasize that Britt later denied this, but the law enforcement witness insisted it was an admission and an offer to plead guilty in exchange for a 20-year sentence
The Theory of What Happened to Holly
The episode presents a reconstructed theory from law enforcement and U.S. Marshal John Walker:
- Britt saw Holly earlier, possibly at Dollar General with her cousin Natalie
- He tracked her routine and knew the back roads
- He attacked Holly at the carport around 7:45 a.m.
- Holly struggled, blood was left on the patio
- Britt then escaped via rural roads and discarded items from Holly’s phone and personal effects
- Holly’s phone activity and the route to the creek aligned with the area near Britt’s home
- Walker believed Britt knew the area too well for this to be coincidence
Walker later said Britt’s comments suggested he wanted to cooperate, but only if he could get a deal and a better jail placement.
Why the Case Against Britt Mattered
The episode argues that the evidence against Britt was so strong that it should have remained central to the case:
- physical evidence
- eyewitness description
- voice identification
- porn searches
- stalker history
- hair evidence
- cadaver dog alerts
- suspicious alibi behavior
- recorded statements that sounded like admissions
Instead, the hosts say investigators were eventually accused of tunnel vision, and Terry Dykus was removed from the case for focusing too heavily on Britt.
How This Episode Connects to the Larger Series
This episode is not just about Britt—it is also about how the investigation shifted away from a suspect with substantial evidence against him and eventually toward Dylan Adams.
Key takeaway
The episode’s core argument is that Terry Britt looks like the most serious suspect in the Holly Bobo abduction, and that law enforcement’s handling of him raises major questions about whether the wrong person(s) were ultimately pursued.
Tease for the Next Episode
The episode ends by introducing the next major thread:
- a former Memphis police officer working with the Bobos and law enforcement
- this officer later gained custody of Dylan Adams, a 23-year-old with intellectual disability
- soon after, the officer told the FBI that Dylan confessed
The next episode is set up to explore what interrogation tactics this officer was known for and how Dylan Adams entered the case.