A fugitive suspected of killing a man in Tennessee and trying to cover it up with a story about a cliff and a bear has been apprehended in South Carolina. Police say Nicholas Hamlett, 45, called 911 on Oct. 18 and in a fall from a cliff while running from a bear.
He gave his name as Brandon Andrade. When authorities arrived at the site in Tennessee's Monroe County, they found a body with Andrade's ID. Investigators said Hamlett had stolen Andrade's ID and used it before.
The body, they said, was that of 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville, reports. Lloyd had mental health issues and had been living on the streets. Hamlett "met Steven, befriended him, and lured him into a wooded area to take Steven's life and his identity," Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said in a Nov.
4 . Authorities said Lloyd died of blunt force trauma to the head, with injuries authorities said were not consistent with a fall or bear attack, reports. Hamlett, the target of a multistate manhunt, was arrested at a hospital in South Carolina after an employee recognized him.
Hamlett was taken into custody by the US Marshals Service after an officer confirmed his identity with a fingerprint scanner. "The sharing of Hamlett's wanted poster led the public, whom is our most valuable resource, to act as our eyes and ears," Jones said. "After observing Hamlett at a local hospital, a good citizen alerted the authorities and brought this manhunt to a peaceful end.
" Hamlett was also wanted for a parole vi.
