June 28, 2024 • 10 mins
What drives a teenager to commit such an unfathomable act against his own family? On this heart-stopping episode of Human Wreckage, we confront the haunting story of Zachary Davis, a 15-year-old who turned his darkest thoughts into a gruesome reality. By dissecting the events leading up to that fateful night in August 2012, we uncover how the tragic death of Zachary’s father and subsequent mental health struggles spiraled into a horrifying crime that left his mother dead and his brother narrowly escaping death.
As we navigate through the chilling details of the case, we also explore the intense legal battle that ensued. Hear firsthand the arguments from both the defense and prosecution regarding Zachary's mental state, and consider whether his actions were a result of severe mental illness or something far more malevolent. This episode promises to challenge your perceptions of crime and punishment, delivering an unforgettable examination of a case that shocked an entire community.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Zachary Davis was just 15 years old when he
bludgeoned his mother to deathwith a sledgehammer and
attempted to kill his brother.
What caused him to commit sucha gruesome act?
One of the most horrific actsthat a human being can carry out
against their fellow humanbeings is murder.
It's perplexing enough toimagine the motivation behind an
adult killing another adult,but what about when it is a
(00:21):
child or teenager committingthis violent deed?
We shall look at the murder ofMelanie Davis and the attempted
murder of Josh Davis.
Was the killer impaired by asevere mental illness or was he
just pure evil?
Welcome to another episode ofHuman Wreckage, true Crime
Podcast.
My name is Thomas.
This is a horrific case.
Let's get into it.
(01:05):
The 10th of August 2012, startedjust like any other day, but by
the following morning, melanieDavis would be dead and her
15-year-old son, zachary, wouldbe in police custody.
Melanie was an Australiancitizen who moved to
Hendersonville, tennessee, tomarry Chris.
The couple went on to have twosons First born was Josh and
second born was Zachary.
(01:25):
They were your averageall-American family that lived
in a middle-class neighborhood.
Melanie worked as a paralegaland in her free time she partook
in triathlons.
However, in 2007, tragedystruck when Chris died from
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The death came as a blow to thewhole family, but it
particularly had an impact on 10year old Zachary, who fell into
(01:47):
a deep depression.
Within just a few months,zachary would be sent for
psychiatric treatment with DrBradley Freeman at the
Vanderbilt University MedicalCenter.
Zachary told his psychiatristthat he would very frequently
hear disembodied voices.
It was evident that he wassuffering from some form of
mental disease from the veryfirst meeting.
Nevertheless, zachary's casewas terminated when Melanie
(02:11):
stopped bringing her son to hisappointments with Dr Freeman.
Throughout his teenage years,zachary was known to be an
outcast by his peers at StationCamp High School.
He possessed some bizarrequirks and characteristics.
One student recalled howZachary often refused to speak
in his regular voice and almostalways responded in a whisper
when being spoken to.
(02:31):
This same student added thatZachary would wear the same
hoodie day in and day out.
At approximately 9 pm on the10th of August 2012, 46-year-old
Melanie went to bed just likeusual.
Earlier on in the evening,melanie, 16-year-old Josh and
15-year-old Zachary had attendeda showing of the comedy film
the Campaign at the local cinemabefore returning home together.
(02:54):
As Melanie drifted off to sleep, she was completely unaware
that her youngest son, zachary,was planning something extremely
sinister.
When Melanie and Josh were bothasleep, zachary crept into his
mother's bedroom.
He was armed with asledgehammer that he had
retrieved from the basement.
With that sledgehammer, zacharybludgeoned Melanie in the head
(03:15):
over and over again.
The medical examiner wouldlater conclude that Melanie
suffered at least eight blows tothe head.
The blood-spattered teenagerthen left the bedroom, locking
the door behind him, and walkedto the game's room.
In here he poured gasoline andwhiskey over the walls and
floors and set it alight beforefleeing off into the night.
Thankfully, zachary closed thegame's room door.
(03:36):
Thus the fire did not spreaddue to lack of oxygen.
Moments later, the fire alarmquickly started beeping and Josh
awoke from his slumber,realizing that his mother's
bedroom door was locked.
He broke the door down and wasmet by an unimaginable scene.
Josh ran to a neighbor's homefor help.
Approximately five hours later,a Sumner County Sheriff's
(03:58):
Office deputy found Zacharywalking along a two-lane road
roughly five miles from his homeoff Long Hollow Pike.
Zachary was taken in forquestioning without incident and
readily confessed that he hadmurdered his mother as she slept
.
Sheriff Sonny Weatherford saidthat when he confessed he had a
malevolent smirk on his face.
It was April of 2015, and, afternarrowing the jury down to
(04:20):
seven men and five women,zachary's trial was ready to
commence.
Zachary was being tried as anadult and was pleading not
guilty by reason of insanity.
Defense lawyer Randy Lucas andprosecution Sumner County
Attorney General Ray Whitleylaid out the basis of their
arguments in opening statements.
There was harmony in the house,said Whitley.
(04:41):
Zach Davis had planned andintended to kill his mother and
brother, and tonight was thenight, announced Whitley to the
crowded courtroom.
This was cold-blooded murder,the prosecution declared, but
the defense offered a differentmotivation.
Zachary's defense lawyerannounced in his opening
statement that the jury wouldsee a taped confession of
Zachary.
Declaring that even though headmitted to the murder doesn't
(05:03):
mean that he is guilty.
Zachary was suffering from anuntreated mental illness at the
time of the murders, his defenselawyer argued, and for this
reason he shouldn't be heldresponsible for his actions.
Dr Bradley Freeman, who hadearlier examined Zachary, took
to the stand and testified thatZachary had told him that when
he killed his mother, he did soat the request of his father.
(05:25):
However, as mentioned earlier,zachary's father passed away in
2007.
Zachary had earlier revealed toDr Freeman said that he had
frequently been hearing hisfather's voice, and Zachary
would relay this information tothe courtroom.
You hearing voices when no oneis there?
(05:47):
Do you hear voices, zach?
An attorney asked.
He believed that his father hadbeen telling him that he needed
to kill his mother.
Assistant District AttorneyTara Wiley refuted these claims
when she pointed out thatZachary had not mentioned
hearing his father's voice untilafter his first hearing at
juvenile court.
Freeman announced to the jurythat he had diagnosed Zachary
with schizophrenia, adding that,due to this disorder, he could
(06:07):
not form the necessary thoughtprocess which was needed in
order to commit first-degreemurder.
His judgment was driven by hispsychosis.
That's what I believe preventshim from premeditating this
crime, dr Freeman said.
Another psychologist, who hadinterviewed Zachary 30 times
since his arrest, agreed withthis diagnosis.
I've never encountered someoneso severely detached from his
(06:29):
emotions, she told the jury,adding that she diagnosed him
with schizophrenia as well asdepression.
Throughout the trial, zacharyfrequently manically laughed at
inappropriate times.
On the third day of the trial,zachary took to the stand to
testify on his own behalf andsaid something that nobody,
including his attorney, expectedto hear.
I didn't do it, he exclaimed.
(06:50):
I took the fall for my brother.
I didn't do it.
He killed her with asledgehammer, zachary told the
stunned courtroom.
When Zachary's defense lawyer,randy Lucas, reminded him that
there was a handwrittenconfession as well as a taped
confession, zachary replied Ididn't kill her.
In addition to the confessions,melanie's blood was splattered
over his trousers.
(07:12):
The prosecution had argued that,regardless of mental illness,
zachary had meticulously plannedhis attack.
He had written his plans in hisdiary in the days leading up to
the murder.
He had poured gasoline andwhiskey into the bedroom before
setting it alight.
Additionally, zachary had fledthe home with a packed bag that
he had prepared earlier andthrew his cell phone into a
(07:32):
ditch so that police could nottrace it.
This is a clear indication ofpremeditation.
Presiding over the trial wasSumner County Judge D David Gay,
who concluded that, whileZachary probably did suffer from
mental illnesses, he knew wrongfrom right.
The thing that bothers me isthat you have shown no regrets,
no remorse in murdering your ownmother at age 15, he bellowed
(07:54):
to the stone-faced Zachary.
The trial took anotherunexpected twist when Zachary's
diary was presented to the jury.
This diary had been found inZachary's backpack when he was
apprehended following the murder, on an entry that was dated the
10th of August 2012,.
The same day, zachary killed hismother.
He claimed that his brother hadraped him.
I was raped by him that day andI've been planning to kill him
(08:18):
ever since.
Following the murder, he wroteanother journal entry which read
I killed Melanie and left Joshalone to suffer.
I didn't feel anything.
I didn't feel remorse.
My only true regret was that Ididn't give her a faster death.
I didn't want her to suffer.
However, these claims weremeticulously investigated and
the Department of Children'sServices found no evidence to
(08:39):
back these.
Claims were meticulouslyinvestigated and the Department
of Children's Services found noevidence to back these claims up
.
Furthermore, when Josh wasquestioned about these claims,
he told investigators that heloved his brother and that these
claims were ridiculous.
Was this just an instance of adamaged mind becoming confused,
or was Zachary trying to placethe blame on somebody else?
One of the most harrowingmoments of the trial was when
(09:00):
Zachary's tape confession wasplayed.
In this confession, heexplained his reasoning behind
using a sledgehammer to kill hismother.
I was worried that I'd missadding that the sledgehammer
gave him the highest chance ofkilling her.
When asked by the detective ifhe could go back in time, would
he still carry out the attack towhich he replies.
I would probably kill Josh witha sledgehammer too.
(09:23):
Family members and familyfriends disclosed that they
never believed anything to beamiss with Zachary.
While, yes, he was different,nothing could have indicated
that he was capable of suchviolence.
He had a good relationship withhis mother and brother, and
Melanie Garner, a TBI expert incomputer forensics, corroborated
this.
While investigating Zachary'sphone, she found text messages
(09:45):
between the family.
In fact, there werepleasantries exchanged just the
day before Zachary killedMelanie.
After a four-day trial, thejury sided with the prosecution.
Zachary was found guilty andsentenced to life imprisonment
plus another 20 years for theattempted murder of his brother.
I think that Zach Davis is alittle bit smarter and a little
(10:05):
bit wilier than we give himcredit for, announced Sumner
County District Attorney RayWhiteley following the
sentencing phase.
Thanks for joining me.
What a messed up case.
If you enjoy listening, pleaselike and subscribe.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves, thank you.
Zachary Davis was just 15 years old when he
bludgeoned his mother to deathwith a sledgehammer and
attempted to kill his brother.
What caused him to commit sucha gruesome act?
One of the most horrific actsthat a human being can carry out
against their fellow humanbeings is murder.
It's perplexing enough toimagine the motivation behind an
adult killing another adult,but what about when it is a
(00:21):
child or teenager committingthis violent deed?
We shall look at the murder ofMelanie Davis and the attempted
murder of Josh Davis.
Was the killer impaired by asevere mental illness or was he
just pure evil?
Welcome to another episode ofHuman Wreckage, true Crime
Podcast.
My name is Thomas.
This is a horrific case.
Let's get into it.
(01:05):
The 10th of August 2012, startedjust like any other day, but by
the following morning, melanieDavis would be dead and her
15-year-old son, zachary, wouldbe in police custody.
Melanie was an Australiancitizen who moved to
Hendersonville, tennessee, tomarry Chris.
The couple went on to have twosons First born was Josh and
second born was Zachary.
(01:25):
They were your averageall-American family that lived
in a middle-class neighborhood.
Melanie worked as a paralegaland in her free time she partook
in triathlons.
However, in 2007, tragedystruck when Chris died from
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The death came as a blow to thewhole family, but it
particularly had an impact on 10year old Zachary, who fell into
(01:47):
a deep depression.
Within just a few months,zachary would be sent for
psychiatric treatment with DrBradley Freeman at the
Vanderbilt University MedicalCenter.
Zachary told his psychiatristthat he would very frequently
hear disembodied voices.
It was evident that he wassuffering from some form of
mental disease from the veryfirst meeting.
Nevertheless, zachary's casewas terminated when Melanie
(02:11):
stopped bringing her son to hisappointments with Dr Freeman.
Throughout his teenage years,zachary was known to be an
outcast by his peers at StationCamp High School.
He possessed some bizarrequirks and characteristics.
One student recalled howZachary often refused to speak
in his regular voice and almostalways responded in a whisper
when being spoken to.
(02:31):
This same student added thatZachary would wear the same
hoodie day in and day out.
At approximately 9 pm on the10th of August 2012, 46-year-old
Melanie went to bed just likeusual.
Earlier on in the evening,melanie, 16-year-old Josh and
15-year-old Zachary had attendeda showing of the comedy film
the Campaign at the local cinemabefore returning home together.
(02:54):
As Melanie drifted off to sleep, she was completely unaware
that her youngest son, zachary,was planning something extremely
sinister.
When Melanie and Josh were bothasleep, zachary crept into his
mother's bedroom.
He was armed with asledgehammer that he had
retrieved from the basement.
With that sledgehammer, zacharybludgeoned Melanie in the head
(03:15):
over and over again.
The medical examiner wouldlater conclude that Melanie
suffered at least eight blows tothe head.
The blood-spattered teenagerthen left the bedroom, locking
the door behind him, and walkedto the game's room.
In here he poured gasoline andwhiskey over the walls and
floors and set it alight beforefleeing off into the night.
Thankfully, zachary closed thegame's room door.
(03:36):
Thus the fire did not spreaddue to lack of oxygen.
Moments later, the fire alarmquickly started beeping and Josh
awoke from his slumber,realizing that his mother's
bedroom door was locked.
He broke the door down and wasmet by an unimaginable scene.
Josh ran to a neighbor's homefor help.
Approximately five hours later,a Sumner County Sheriff's
(03:58):
Office deputy found Zacharywalking along a two-lane road
roughly five miles from his homeoff Long Hollow Pike.
Zachary was taken in forquestioning without incident and
readily confessed that he hadmurdered his mother as she slept
.
Sheriff Sonny Weatherford saidthat when he confessed he had a
malevolent smirk on his face.
It was April of 2015, and, afternarrowing the jury down to
(04:20):
seven men and five women,zachary's trial was ready to
commence.
Zachary was being tried as anadult and was pleading not
guilty by reason of insanity.
Defense lawyer Randy Lucas andprosecution Sumner County
Attorney General Ray Whitleylaid out the basis of their
arguments in opening statements.
There was harmony in the house,said Whitley.
(04:41):
Zach Davis had planned andintended to kill his mother and
brother, and tonight was thenight, announced Whitley to the
crowded courtroom.
This was cold-blooded murder,the prosecution declared, but
the defense offered a differentmotivation.
Zachary's defense lawyerannounced in his opening
statement that the jury wouldsee a taped confession of
Zachary.
Declaring that even though headmitted to the murder doesn't
(05:03):
mean that he is guilty.
Zachary was suffering from anuntreated mental illness at the
time of the murders, his defenselawyer argued, and for this
reason he shouldn't be heldresponsible for his actions.
Dr Bradley Freeman, who hadearlier examined Zachary, took
to the stand and testified thatZachary had told him that when
he killed his mother, he did soat the request of his father.
(05:25):
However, as mentioned earlier,zachary's father passed away in
2007.
Zachary had earlier revealed toDr Freeman said that he had
frequently been hearing hisfather's voice, and Zachary
would relay this information tothe courtroom.
You hearing voices when no oneis there?
(05:47):
Do you hear voices, zach?
An attorney asked.
He believed that his father hadbeen telling him that he needed
to kill his mother.
Assistant District AttorneyTara Wiley refuted these claims
when she pointed out thatZachary had not mentioned
hearing his father's voice untilafter his first hearing at
juvenile court.
Freeman announced to the jurythat he had diagnosed Zachary
with schizophrenia, adding that,due to this disorder, he could
(06:07):
not form the necessary thoughtprocess which was needed in
order to commit first-degreemurder.
His judgment was driven by hispsychosis.
That's what I believe preventshim from premeditating this
crime, dr Freeman said.
Another psychologist, who hadinterviewed Zachary 30 times
since his arrest, agreed withthis diagnosis.
I've never encountered someoneso severely detached from his
(06:29):
emotions, she told the jury,adding that she diagnosed him
with schizophrenia as well asdepression.
Throughout the trial, zacharyfrequently manically laughed at
inappropriate times.
On the third day of the trial,zachary took to the stand to
testify on his own behalf andsaid something that nobody,
including his attorney, expectedto hear.
I didn't do it, he exclaimed.
(06:50):
I took the fall for my brother.
I didn't do it.
He killed her with asledgehammer, zachary told the
stunned courtroom.
When Zachary's defense lawyer,randy Lucas, reminded him that
there was a handwrittenconfession as well as a taped
confession, zachary replied Ididn't kill her.
In addition to the confessions,melanie's blood was splattered
over his trousers.
(07:12):
The prosecution had argued that,regardless of mental illness,
zachary had meticulously plannedhis attack.
He had written his plans in hisdiary in the days leading up to
the murder.
He had poured gasoline andwhiskey into the bedroom before
setting it alight.
Additionally, zachary had fledthe home with a packed bag that
he had prepared earlier andthrew his cell phone into a
(07:32):
ditch so that police could nottrace it.
This is a clear indication ofpremeditation.
Presiding over the trial wasSumner County Judge D David Gay,
who concluded that, whileZachary probably did suffer from
mental illnesses, he knew wrongfrom right.
The thing that bothers me isthat you have shown no regrets,
no remorse in murdering your ownmother at age 15, he bellowed
(07:54):
to the stone-faced Zachary.
The trial took anotherunexpected twist when Zachary's
diary was presented to the jury.
This diary had been found inZachary's backpack when he was
apprehended following the murder, on an entry that was dated the
10th of August 2012,.
The same day, zachary killed hismother.
He claimed that his brother hadraped him.
I was raped by him that day andI've been planning to kill him
(08:18):
ever since.
Following the murder, he wroteanother journal entry which read
I killed Melanie and left Joshalone to suffer.
I didn't feel anything.
I didn't feel remorse.
My only true regret was that Ididn't give her a faster death.
I didn't want her to suffer.
However, these claims weremeticulously investigated and
the Department of Children'sServices found no evidence to
(08:39):
back these.
Claims were meticulouslyinvestigated and the Department
of Children's Services found noevidence to back these claims up
.
Furthermore, when Josh wasquestioned about these claims,
he told investigators that heloved his brother and that these
claims were ridiculous.
Was this just an instance of adamaged mind becoming confused,
or was Zachary trying to placethe blame on somebody else?
One of the most harrowingmoments of the trial was when
(09:00):
Zachary's tape confession wasplayed.
In this confession, heexplained his reasoning behind
using a sledgehammer to kill hismother.
I was worried that I'd missadding that the sledgehammer
gave him the highest chance ofkilling her.
When asked by the detective ifhe could go back in time, would
he still carry out the attack towhich he replies.
I would probably kill Josh witha sledgehammer too.
(09:23):
Family members and familyfriends disclosed that they
never believed anything to beamiss with Zachary.
While, yes, he was different,nothing could have indicated
that he was capable of suchviolence.
He had a good relationship withhis mother and brother, and
Melanie Garner, a TBI expert incomputer forensics, corroborated
this.
While investigating Zachary'sphone, she found text messages
(09:45):
between the family.
In fact, there werepleasantries exchanged just the
day before Zachary killedMelanie.
After a four-day trial, thejury sided with the prosecution.
Zachary was found guilty andsentenced to life imprisonment
plus another 20 years for theattempted murder of his brother.
I think that Zach Davis is alittle bit smarter and a little
(10:05):
bit wilier than we give himcredit for, announced Sumner
County District Attorney RayWhiteley following the
sentencing phase.
Thanks for joining me.
What a messed up case.
If you enjoy listening, pleaselike and subscribe.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves, thank you.
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