Saved From Being Chained Up, Only to be Brutalized by Her Evil “Uncle” 

Saved From Being Chained Up, Only to be Brutalized by Her Evil “Uncle” 

Jersey Diane Bridgeman was born on November 14th, 2006 in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. She had one younger sister. Her favorite colors were pink and purple, and she had a purple unicorn plushy she slept with at night. She liked princesses, dogs, Justin Bieber, and playing on her school playground. She was a quiet girl, but sociable with the people that she loved.

 Isaac Stover, a family friend, said that she was, and I quote, “a very good, kind girl. She touched a lot of people’s hearts, even in the schools. She just had that about her. She always had a good smile on her.” Jersey’s parents, David and Desiree, divorced when Jersey was a little. David got custody of Jersey and her little sister.

Shortly after the divorce was finalized, David married Janna Slinkard. They lived together in their home in Benton County, Arkansas, and Jersey’s mother got visitation on the weekends. >> David claimed Jersey would wander off if she was left alone, and that sometimes she would sleepwalk. To keep her out of trouble, in David and Janna’s mind, they thought the right decision was to chain her to a dresser in a room all by herself.

 They started doing this after she got into the leftover pies following Thanksgiving, and claimed they were worried she would get into the medicine cabinet, or worse, the drugs that were in the house. It’s unclear if David and Janna were malicious or incompetent. David said on the record that he had a drug addiction at the time, and blamed his poor decisions solely on that.

 But, they were chaining Jersey like a dog to a dresser. So, even if it is just incompetence, it doesn’t excuse the treatment of this little girl. However, the couple were confident enough about their behavior being justified to let a friend stay in their home while they were doing it. The friend found Jersey wearing what she described as a dog collar chained to a dresser.

 She was rightfully and understandably disturbed by what she saw. Jersey’s well-being trumped any loyalty she had towards David and Janna. So, she reported what she saw to the police and they were taken in for questioning. While the state built a case against David and Janna, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County stepped in to help Jersey and her sister.

 Jersey spoke with the officers and the social workers helping them piece together the extent of the mistreatment that she endured. Detective Larry Taylor, who spoke with Jersey, wrote in an affidavit, “Jersey said that Janna and David chained her to the dresser because she had gotten up and eaten some pie, cereal, and bread.

She stated that they put a belt around her waist so that she could not get up and get any food.” Jersey’s grandmother said it took about a year for her personality to re-emerge after all this happened. David told Detective Taylor that Jersey got into food and medication when she was unsupervised.

 When the collar hurt her too much, David moved the chain around her waist. “It was for Jersey’s safety,” David said. Detective Taylor wrote, “He said that he thinks she may be sleepwalking and that they discussed buying a child gate, but since he does not have a job, they could not afford to buy one at that time.” It should be noted that the chain that David used was approximately 1 to 2 ft in length and appeared to be a dog choke collar.

 David and Janna admitted to their wrongdoings in the interrogation room. In court, David pled guilty to endangering the welfare of a minor, false imprisonment, and permitting the of a minor. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. While in prison at the Newport Correctional Facility, David got a tattoo of his daughter’s name and held onto a photograph of her.

 Janna pled guilty to the same charges but was only given 12 years in prison. The courts added another 3 years for probation violation from a previous drug-related charge. She was eligible for parole after only 2 years. If her Facebook activity is any indication, she apparently didn’t serve her full term.

 David also appears to be out of prison now. >> Jersey and her little sister were sent to live with her mother, Desiree. She worked at an Easy Mart and couldn’t cut back on her shifts or bring her daughters with her. She had a boyfriend at the time who was helpful, but he also worked long shifts at the Easy Mart. As a newly full-time mother of two, Desiree relied on those around her for extra help in raising her daughters.

Her go-to babysitters were the couple who lived next door, Zachary and Amanda Hawley. In a perfect world, Jersey would never have to go through what she went through. In a better world, her trauma would have ended when she was rescued from her father’s home. She should have been granted a normal life of making friends and going to school, but instead someone close to her chose to cut that life short just as she was looking forward to a bright future.

>> Zachary Dwayne Hawley was born on October 8th, 1984. Like Jersey, he was mistreated in his childhood. Department of Human Services records show that when he was 8 years old, he disclosed his older brother had SA’d him repeatedly. A detective would substantiate the allegation, but Zachary would not cooperate, and so it went no further.

His mother and stepfather were neglectful addicts. Christina Whitaker, Zachary’s step aunt, said one of his stepfathers injected methamphetamine into his neck and made fun of him after he collapsed. His mother even admitted that family services should have taken Zachary from her. Young Zachary didn’t cooperate with the social workers, so their investigations were cut short each time.

PART2

 His family moved around a lot in his childhood, first from Arkansas to California, then back to Arkansas. They lived at over 20 addresses, and Zachary attended nine elementary schools. Zachary was placed into special ed classes throughout his childhood, and his grades were fairly poor. Zachary and Amanda Hawley had not been married for very long.

 She tutored him in high school, helping him with his assignments. As an adult, she had to fill out his job applications for him because he couldn’t read or write very well. Amanda had a son from a previous relationship whom Zachary raised as his own. It didn’t take long for Jersey and her sister to grow close to the Hollies.

 They even called the couple on uncle and Amanda’s son was like a cousin or brother to them. Amanda and Desaray were friends before Amanda started dating Zachary. Desaray heard bits and pieces of Zachary’s upbringing and felt sympathy for him. She thought welcoming him into her family was a kindness that he was grateful for, but sadly, Zachary saw this as an opportunity.

>> You think, okay, well, this woman you know, trusts him. You know, your best friend trusts him, so obviously he’s [music] not too bad. >> Best friends living side by side. >> And Jersey and Lee even called him Uncle Zach. [music] Like, that’s how close our families were. They called him Uncle Zach. So, for a while, I mean, this was perfect.

>> Mhm. >> And it was then it was like living in a dream. >> [music] >> And then November 20th, the dream ended. >> On November 19th, 2012, Jersey and her sister spent the day at Zachary and Amanda’s house while Desaray was at work. She returned at 11:00 at night to bring the girls home. Zachary went with her.

 Both girls were already asleep. Zachary carried Jersey, Desaray carried her sister, and the two of them put the girls to bed. >> She woke up a little bit and >> [music] >> told me goodnight and she loved me. Her favorite way of telling me that she loved me was she’d go, “I love you to the [music] moon and back.” >> Then early the next morning, Desaray realized she overslept and needed to be quick to get Jersey to school on time.

She checked on her daughters and only saw Jersey’s younger sister still asleep. She knew Jersey was a wanderer, so she first searched her home. All she found was Jersey’s unicorn plushy abandoned on the living room floor. >> Desiree first called her mother who asked if she checked under the bed or in the closets.

 Desiree said she did and her mother told her to call 911. Desiree stepped outside and saw Amanda. She asked Amanda if she or Zachary knew where Jersey was. Amanda said no and the panic hit Desiree all at once. Desiree called the police at 6:43 a.m. She was so hysterical that she couldn’t form complete sentences understandably. She managed to choke out her home address after which she passed the phone to Amanda.

Police searched Desiree’s home and then the Holly’s home. A crowd had started to gather and Desiree’s mother and father arrived to comfort their daughter. Zachary walked up and down the street as if he was helping to search for Jersey. There was an empty house near Desiree’s home and the Holly’s.

 Officer Travis Nichols noticed the back door was open. He and Officer Mike Henson walked over and looked inside. A few items of trash lay on the floor. There was no furniture and nothing to suggest anyone had been living there. The officers moved through the house looking for Jersey. And they found Jersey’s body in a bedroom closet in the southwest corner of the house.

The officers had to leave the property and return with a search warrant before they could investigate further. Desiree’s mother approached them and asked if Jersey was inside. The officers gave a pained expression and she knew exactly what the truth was at that point. >> They called my dad. Away. And uh But my dad comes back into the living room.

And my mom could see it all over his face. They called him to identify the body. They I want to believe it. I wanted to believe that Well, she was still alive. You know, that she was still breathing. >> Desiree was understandably distraught. One of her neighbors said Zachary was upset, too, and was crying for a long time.

Paced outside the house in his pajamas, a coat, and a blue beanie until well after sunrise. The news spread across Bentonville. The nearby Children’s Advocacy Center held a candlelit vigil for Jersey that night. More than 100 people attended. Beverly Engel, the center’s executive director, said, “There was a unique quality about Jersey, a little old soul, but such a delight.

” Desiree spoke with investigators, and she named two of her exes that she thought may have been responsible. Neither of these men stayed on the suspect list for very long. Amanda kept an eye on Jersey’s little sister, who said some disturbing things about the night Jersey went missing. Amanda brought this up to the police and said she believed Jersey’s sister was telling the truth.

The investigators spoke with Jersey’s sister, but her memory was unreliable through no fault of her own. She was a very young child who was likely scared and overwhelmed with her sister’s disappearance. Placed in a room with adults she didn’t know, being asked questions she may not have understood. Zachary helped the police during the initial search on November 20th.

 He told the officers he woke up around half past 3:00 in the morning with stomach issues, so he walked to Easy Mart for a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. Desiree’s boyfriend was working the graveyard shift at the Easy Mart, saw Zachary, but didn’t think much of it. Investigators also got their hands on the store security footage.

 It confirmed that Zachary left in the early morning. He gave the investigators a sample of his DNA and was cooperative throughout. He even turned over the clothes that he wore that night. Dr. Frank Peretti of the state medical examiner’s office performed Jersey’s autopsy the next morning, determined that the cause of death was asphyxia.

Swab of her privates came back with a small number of male cells, those cells were taken into evidence and profiled for DNA. They ran the samples through testing, but the results would take time to get. >> On November 23rd, Zachary called Detective Sergeant Chris Moffitt’s cell phone and said, unprompted, that he was willing to take a polygraph test.

3 days later, on Monday, November 26th, the investigators had the polygraph and DNA results in hand. Zachary and Amanda were in Springdale that afternoon. Amanda texted Detective Sergeant Moffitt to say the two of them were on their way back. Zachary walked into a recorded interview room at the Bentonville Police Department at 4:46 that afternoon and waived his Miranda rights.

The investigators presented Zachary with the test results and after some coaxing, he confessed. Detective Sergeant Moffitt arrested him at 6:15 that evening for capital murder, kidnapping, essay, and residential burglary. The formal charges were filed on January 2nd, 2013. >> And the moment that they said Zach’s [music] name, I felt betrayed.

I felt more hurt, you know, I felt anger. >> [music] >> I felt like, how dare you? >> Is there any part of you that thought he might have had something to do >> No. >> [music] >> Not one, not for not even for a second. >> Detective Sergeant Moffitt swore the probable cause affidavit and it was filed and released two days later on November 28th, albeit heavily redacted.

It’s common practice to redact parts of an affidavit, but this one stands out because of how much is blacked out. Reporters spoke with the defense attorney uninvolved with the trial, Michael Dodson, who said he thought Zachary’s legal team was behind the redactions. >> Looking at what’s taken out and the volume of it, these are probably, you know, details that are gruesome, I guess to put it simply.

>> But Dodson admits there’s no way to know exactly what’s been left out. >> Could be a confession. It could be him asking for a lawyer. >> Or, he says, it could be results of the DNA test, which reports show Holly agreed to. >> We do know that there was found on the victim. We do know that, you know, they were there was a test to see if they matched.

 What we don’t know is the result of the test. Was it a match? I don’t know. I do know that the judge had a charge at his preliminary hearing. So, it would certainly indicate that there was a match. >> Holly has the right to a fair trial, so it was likely his defense attorney who wanted the lines blacked out. >> It’s going to be hard enough to find enough people to sit in the jury box in Benton County that don’t have an opinion of this case already without having to read, you know, gory details of what happened.

 Again, I don’t know, but that’s that’s certainly what it looks like. >> Court documents later confirmed that Zachary confessed to Jersey’s murder in that interrogation room. He entered Desiree’s home through an unlocked door. He woke Jersey up and carried her into the empty house. He used a disgusting phrase, “Try to stick it in,” described the essay.

 What in the actual He then tied her pajama bottoms in a knot around her neck and twisted it until she stopped kicking, then dragged Jersey’s body by her hair and the pajama pants into a closet and then shut the door. >> In the wake of Jersey’s death, Desiree hung purple ribbons next to her front door and on a tree outside her home.

Roughly 4 and 1/2 years later, she gave David and Janna a lavender colored blanket with their daughter’s face on it and a pillow made from one of Jersey’s old shirts. Jersey’s funeral was held on November 27th at the Rollins Funeral Chapel. There were about 200 people in attendance from close friends to complete strangers.

Along with the usual mourning clothes, people showed up in shades of purple. Police officers led her funeral procession in their cruisers. >> She was always smiling. She was outgoing. Just loved her to death. >> She’s been through a lot. She was very quiet. But, you know, she always laughed.

 She had the biggest smile that you could have. She made sure she showed you her teeth. And she loved her parents and all of her family more than anything. >> CBS 5 Arkansas published a snippet of the funeral program. It read in part, “A beautiful light living on, spirit soaring, playing, laughing, and free. Jersey had some tragedies brought on by people with no hearts, but she loved life. She laughed much and smiled more.

She knew how to give love and receive love. She never let her spirit be totally broken because she felt real love from so many. She loved pink and purple and puppies. She loved being outside. She loved Justin Bieber and anything princess. She loved school and her favorite was recess in the playground.

 Mostly, she loved her mommy and her [ __ ] her meemaw and peepaw, and her uncles, cousins, and aunts. Her headstone wasn’t finished until January of 2013. When it was finally unveiled, it was decorated with purple flowers and a small collection of stuffed animals. A statue of an angel draped its arms over a heart engraved with the words, “I’m playing with angels now. See you soon.

” Jersey’s father, David, spoke with reporters 9 days after Jersey died. He was asked why he treated her the way that he did, about his drug addiction, and if he felt any responsibility for what happened to her. He was also asked if he had any words for Zachary. That part of the interview didn’t make it to air, but apparently David had a few choice words they could not repeat on television.

>> Everybody know that I’m not a bad person. Uh I did some horrible things in the past, uh I will never be able to be forgiven for what I’ve done. >> Bridgeman is serving an 18-year sentence for chaining Jersey to a dresser. >> Help us understand what led you to that point. >> The drugs. >> You think the drugs had a lot to do with it? >> Oh yeah.

 Uh yeah, a whole lot to do with it. >> Bridgeman told us his marijuana and meth habit interfered with his family life. >> Was Jersey ever around drugs? >> [snorts] >> Not in front of it, but she would be in the house, yes. >> Bridgeman shook nervously throughout our interview, especially when I asked him about the picture of Jersey he held onto.

>> She was my first. Yeah, I prayed for 4 years for her. >> [snorts] >> God finally gave her to me. >> Now she’s gone, leaving Bridgeman with a lot of regret and guilt, especially since he never got the chance to ask for his daughter’s forgiveness and never got the chance to tell her goodbye. >> Was there ever a point since her death that you felt as a father in some way, shape, or form responsible? >> Yes and no.

>> Okay. >> [snorts] >> I mean uh I did because I couldn’t be there to protect her. >> Reporters also spoke with a former neighbor of David and Janna, who said she witnessed how they were treating her first hands and how she wishes that she would have just swooped in and saved her. >> Ashley Filbeck’s family lived next door to the Bridgeman’s when they all lived in an apartment complex and because of what she saw then, Ashley says she was not surprised to hear of Jersey’s death.

>> I was just so mad because, you know, >> You but you never dreamed that that >> I never knew she’d I never knew she’d end up dead, you know, and I should have just grabbed her out of that house and took her to, you know, but I’m not even sure if the cops would have done anything. You know what I mean? You know, cuz they have to have proof, but you know, the cops had been there before.

>> In 2011, when Jersey was staying with her father and stepmom, Ashley says she can’t believe what she witnessed. >> They wouldn’t fear because she was always in trouble. >> Oh my goodness. >> You know, and she’d always get up through the middle of the night and go to the fridge and stuff, you know, and it was to eat so she could eat cuz she was hungry.

>> Mhm. So so you know that you called DHS because you just thought this this is just so wrong. >> Yeah, I had to do something, you know, I mean it’s what I can’t just walk up in there and take her out of the house, you know, I did what I thought that what I should do. You know, but it was like no help at all.

>> Filbeck says she was shocked by the response of the DHS agent. >> We told DHS every little detail, everything wrong, you know. And all they did was put a card on the door. That’s all they did. >> I asked her her reaction of seeing and hearing about the child abuse incident that sent Jersey’s father and stepmom to prison.

>> It did not [music] surprise me. It did not surprise me one bit. Like I almost made a visitation at the jail to go speak to the parents because I was so angry. >> And when Jersey went back to live with her biological mother, Desiree Bridgman, Ashley couldn’t believe it. >> I knew from talking to her that they had at least 12 animals and I’ve witnessed the rashes all over they even said it was scabies.

 And I even seen the cream that they put on this little girl because she was head to toe broke out in rashes and all kinds of stuff and it was because of filth, I promise you. I promise you on my kids life I witnessed this. >> After Zachary’s arrest, Beverly Engel of the Children’s Advocacy Center told NBC News 96% of people who offend on children are people that the child knows.

 We’ve been so trained in the stranger danger aspect which certainly does happen, but I think the reality is that’s about 4%. Jersey was a precious, adorable child and it’s very grieving to know even in the moments before her death what she may have experienced knowing this person or trusting this person. The next morning at half past 6:30 Zachary was attacked in the Benton County Jail by another inmate named Michael Lee Moran.

 Michael was a jail trustee and he and a deputy were making the rounds handing out clean towels and clothes. When they got to Zachary’s cell, Michael waited until the deputy had his back turned. He swung at Zachary. The fight ended as quickly as it began when other deputies came in to break it up. Zachary came out of it with just a small bruise on his left temple and Michael faced battery charges.

Zachary was denied bond on November 28th, 2012. Later that day, Amanda’s family released a statement through a lawyer. It says and I quote, “We are deeply saddened by the death of Jersey Bridgman. Although we know that there are no words of sympathy that will make the pain of Jersey’s death subside, we wish to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to Jersey’s family.

 We are praying for healing for Jersey’s family and for justice to be done. Jersey was a very sweet girl who our children and grandchildren considered their best friend. Because of this, we ask for privacy. The children in our family are not dealing well with the loss of their friend. While we feel a certain degree of familiarity is essential for their well-being, we also need time alone to mourn, seek answers to a great many questions, and heal.

” In one 3-day span, Zachary called Amanda 33 times from jail and he sent her letters in the mail. She contacted him once to tell him to stay away from her and her child. He persisted. So, Amanda filed a protection order on January 16th, 2013, 9 days after Zachary pled not guilty at his arraignment.

 She wrote and I quote, “Since his arrest, he has continued to call me multiple times a day. His family has contacted on a few occasions on his behalf. I have told him I want him to leave my son and I alone, that we want nothing to do with him. He is still continuing. I have received seven letters from him stating how much he loves and misses is son.

 I want it to stop. Prosecutor Van Stone of the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office was assigned to the trial. He was determined to seek the death penalty against Zachary and made his wishes clear to the judge in January of 2013. Zachary’s legal team filed for a court-ordered mental health evaluation.

 Zachary told his attorneys about his childhood and his troubled upbringing. His trial team went on to have him examined by three different psychologists before the trial began. Michael Dodson spoke with the press again, and I quote, “In a case where they’re asking for the death penalty, you would like to think everyone is doing the best job they can to get it right.

 You don’t want to be in a situation where you left something on the table and your client could be executed. As far as mental evaluations go, you want to file this because you want to make sure you protected your client’s rights. You’ve done everything you can for them. If you don’t understand what you’ve done, you’re not competent to stand trial.

 If you do theoretically understand what you’ve done, but you can’t assist in your own defense, we are not competent to stand trial. They check to see if there’s different things wrong. They check to see if someone’s trying to be deceptive. You can’t just go to the state hospital and act like there’s something wrong with you. They have ways.

 The test is designed to find that. Well, the defense tried to argue that Zachary was unwell. The last psychologist they hired, Dr. Robert Hanlon, told them Zachary had not put enough effort into the testing and that he could not rule out malingering. The state had mountains of evidence on its side, including a confession from him.

>> The jury found Zachary Holly guilty on May 20th, 2015. On May 27th, that same jury sentenced him to death, along with two life sentences and an additional 20 years. Zachary got the chance to speak for himself. Addressing Jeri’s loved ones, he said, “I want to sincerely apologize for the pain I have caused, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

” Desiree and her family didn’t grant him the dignity of a response, and I wouldn’t, either. They focused on each other, crying and embracing after the sentence was announced, she said. >> It has been pretty much an ongoing funeral. You know, we finally get the We no longer have to remember a bad day. We get to remember you know, our baby. We get to remember the good the good times.

 No longer have to focus on the nightmare. This is my daughter’s day. It is not his. He can’t take this away from her. She’s She’s It’s no longer funeral. Get to remember the good stuff. I’m going to keep loving my other ones, you know. I’m going to keep going on as a mom. >> After that, Jersey’s family, friends, and members of law enforcement visited her grave.

 They held a memorial service and released more than a dozen white doves in her memory. Desiree wrote on her Facebook that they released these birds because Jersey is truly set free. >> As of 2026, Zachary Holly is one of only 23 people on death row in Arkansas. He was supposed to be executed on November 16th, 2015, well over 10 years ago, but that day has come and gone with Zachary still alive and well.

 As well as he can be in a death row facility, that is. We have discussed the death penalty before. Many states will put somebody on death row even if the last court-ordered execution was decades ago. Arkansas was not one of those states on paper, but in practice, the death penalty has been paused indefinitely in the state.

 2017, the state’s supply of the lethal injection drug midazolam was about to expire, so they executed four inmates using their remaining supply. Today, Arkansas still does not have midazolam for legal executions. A new law passed in 2025 added lethal nitrogen gas as an approved method, but death row prisoners have filed a suit challenging it.

 For the foreseeable future, Zachary Holly is more likely to live out the rest of his life in a prison cell. He and his legal team have filed for appeals many times, but the courts have consistently upheld the original 2015 conviction. While in prison, Zachary picked up 10 major disciplinary violations, including destruction of property, sexual threats, trafficking and trading, and insolence to a staff member.

In May of 2018, Zachary filed a Rule 37 petition, a formal claim that a convict did not receive proper legal representation. He amended it twice, filing the final version in September of 2020. He said his legal team did not provide adequate counsel, and he wanted a new trial.

 He thought his attorneys did not represent his character properly, mischaracterizing his mental health issues and troubled upbringing in their arguments. The hearing ran across eight days in October and November of 2023. July 9th of 2024, Judge Brad Karan denied the petition. Zachary kept pushing to get his Rule 37 petition approved.

 Even earlier this year, he tried to get his sentence overturned. The hearing was held in April of 2026. The state and the defense each got 20 minutes to make their arguments in front of the Arkansas Supreme Court. Justice Nicholas Bronny recused himself from the case, meaning he stepped aside over a conflict, and special Justice Tiffany Brown was appointed in his place.

Lee Short, the attorney handling the post-conviction appeal, argued that Zachary has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and that the jury never heard about it. According to attorney Short, it explains the actual offense, as opposed to just saying there’s characteristics of your life someone should hear about.

 It explains how you go through life and have these adverse events occur and have an inability to deal with them. Attorney Short also told the justices that Zachary was SA’d by his brother when they were growing up. Unsurprisingly, on April 16th, the court rejected Zachary’s plea for a new trial in a majority opinion written by Associate Justice Courtney Rey Hudson.

The doctors that attorney Short brought in after the conviction said they found signs of brain damage. According to assistant attorney general Brooke Jackson Gasaway, the experts Zachary’s own trial team had hired found no evidence of brain dysfunction. And so his lawyers were not required to keep investigating.

 Zachary was also uncooperative with those doctors. Attorney Short filed a petition for re-hearing on May 1st. Court denied it on June 4th, 2026 and issued its mandate, which formally has closed the case. >> Today, Desirae is raising Jersey’s sister, giving her as normal a life that she can. As for Zachary, even if he is taken off death row, there’s little to no chance he will ever be released from prison.

He is currently being held in the Varner Supermax unit in Lincoln County, where he will die behind bars one way or another.