|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Nearly four weeks after allegedly committing a mountainside murder – and nine days after being spotted in the northwest area of Columbia, South Carolina – accused killer Nicholas Wayne Hamlett is finally in custody.
According to the City of Columbia, S.C. police department (CPD), Hamlett – who is wanted by police in connection with a murder in the mountains of Tennessee – was “located and identified” at a Columbia-area hospital on Sunday (November 10, 2024).
Hamlett – who is currently in the custody of U.S. Marshals – was captured after a hospital employee recognized him and “notified police.” The fugitive’s identity was subsequently seconded by a police sergeant – and then confirmed via a fingerprint scanner from the University of South Carolina police department (USCPD).
Numerous unconfirmed sightings of Hamlett had been reported in the days since he was spotted at approximately 12:30 a.m. EDT near Chapin High School on November 1, 2024. Several of these sightings prompted massive law enforcement responses, but Hamlett was somehow able to evade apprehension for nearly a week-and-a-half.
***
?CAPTURED?Fugitive & Monroe Co. Tennessee murder suspect #NicholasWayneHamlett was located & identified at a @CityofColumbia hospital a short time ago. Hamlett is in the temporary custody of @USMS_Columbia Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force. pic.twitter.com/CVVzQ8A92d
— Columbia Police Dept (@ColumbiaPDSC) November 10, 2024
***
Hamlett is wanted by Tennessee law enforcement officers for the murder of 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville, Tennessee.
On Friday, October 18, 2024, at approximately 11:34 p.m. EDT, emergency responders in Monroe County, Tennessee received a 911 call from a “distressed hiker” who identified himself as Brandon Andrade. Monroe County is located in the eastern part of the Volunteer State near the Great Smoky Mountains.
The caller “advised the dispatcher that he had fallen off of a cliff while running from a bear,” a release from the Monroe County sheriff’s office noted.
Following an extensive search of the area, the body of a deceased individual believed to be Brandon Andrade – and carrying identification to that effect – was found near the Charles Hall bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
Shortly thereafter, authorities realized the dead man was not Andrade – and that an Alabama man wanted for attempted murder and a parole violation had been “using the stolen identification” of Andrade. That man – identified as Hamlett – was who made the 911 call.
***
“Arrangements are being made with Tennessee authorities regarding Hamlett’s extradition to Monroe County,” Columbia police confirmed.
Hamlett’s ability to elude police over the last nine days had been a source of consistent consternation for residents of Richland and Lexington counties, with many questioning how he was able to evade capture.
Meanwhile, residents of Chapin, Irmo and other northwest Columbia communities – areas full of suburban neighborhoods, wooded lots and small forests (including Harbison State Forest) – spent the last week-and-a-half looking over their shoulders.
Chapin police said on Friday (November 8, 2024) that Marshals were “looking elsewhere” for the accused killer, although he was found less than ten miles down the road in Columbia.
Late Sunday, the agency update its community on the good news.
“The suspect in this case HAS BEEN ARRESTED,” the notice read. “Thank you to our law enforcement partners who relentlessly worked this case until he was apprehended. Thank you to the community as well for your patience and vigilance throughout this time.”
Stay tuned to FITSNews as we keep our audience in the loop regarding any new developments in the Hamlett case…
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
