Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Jackson, TN – A federal judge has sentenced a Benton County man to over 23 years in federal prison for committing new firearm offenses while being on supervised release for a prior federal firearm sentence. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Jason Autry, 49, who was a 16-time convicted felon, was in possession of a rifle, a handgun, and ammunition on December 3, 2020. Autry was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm arising out of a Decatur County, Tennessee incident that occurred on January 15, 2012. He was released to a federal supervised release term of three years on September 16, 2020.
Autry’s eight-year state prison sentence for Solicitation of First-Degree Murder and Facilitation of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping also expired on September 16, 2020. These convictions resulted from Autry’s role in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo, a Decatur County nursing student, on April 13, 2011. Bobo’s body was found over three years later.
It was presented in court that approximately 25 days after the beginning of his supervised release term, Autry had possession of a Smith and Wesson, Model M&P shield, 9mm caliber pistol, which he had stolen. He was in possession of a Marlin, 30-30 caliber rifle and ammunition within 78 days of his release.
On November 22, 2022, Autry pled guilty to three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. On June 24, 2024, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Autry to a total of 279 months in federal prison for the firearm violations and the supervised release violation. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated for federal prosecution by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the Benton County Sheriff’s Department.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Boswell, Josh Morrow and Naya Bedini, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
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