The nationwide manhunt for the man wanted by police for murder has ended after they say he used a false identity to fake his own death in a bizarre 911 call claiming he fell off a cliff while on the flight was from a bear near the scenic Cherohala Skyway.
A hospital worker in Columbia, South Carolina, recognized Nicholas Hamlett and called the police. Columbia police announced the evening of November 10. An officer confirmed Hamlett’s identity with a fingerprint scanner and he was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Officials in South Carolina and Tennessee are coordinating his extradition.
Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones announced on Oct. 25 that Hamlett, who used the name Brandon Andrade, called 911 in distress on Oct. 18 to say he was being chased by a bear and had fallen off a cliff near a waterfall. Jones said first responders who arrived on the scene found the body of a man with Andrade’s ID.
However, detectives later determined that the victim was not Andrade and that he had been murdered, Jones said. Police identified the victim as Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville and Jones said he died of blunt force trauma to the head, injuries inconsistent with a bear attack or a fall.
Hamlett, 45, was wanted by police in Alabama for parole violation and lived in East Tennessee. However, he was not a resident of Monroe County.
At an October 30 press conference, FBI Special Agent Joseph Carrico made a direct plea to Hamlett and Jones reiterated that law enforcement considered him very dangerous and although the victim knew Hamlett, Jones said the murder was not an isolated incident .
“Nic, let’s end this peacefully,” Carrico said. ‘Turn yourself in. Enjoy your day in court.
“We will find you wherever you hide.”
Hamlett knew his victim
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office named Hamlett’s victim in an Oct. 4 Facebook post. Lloyd, 34, befriended Hamlett, was lured to a wooded area along the Cherohala Skyway and killed so Hamlett could steal his identity, the post said.
The post did not say how long the two had known each other, but said Lloyd, who was from Knoxville, had been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder and was known to leave home and live on the streets.
“Steven’s mental health issues had led to his living arrangements and his family continued to support and love him. … The family was shocked to learn that their beloved son’s life had been taken by someone Steven trusted,” the post said.
A violent past
Hamlett is wanted by police in Alabama for parole violation. In 2009, he was charged with attempted murder in Alabama after police said he held a man at gunpoint and tried to beat him with a baseball bat, with eventual plans to bury the man’s body in rural Elmore County , Alabama, according to court records.
Hamlett used an alias, Joshua Jones, to lure a man to a park claiming he would sell him insurance, but Hamlett held him at gunpoint and walked him to a nearby wooded area with a shallow grave. But the man fought back.
Although court records are scant in detail, Hamlett apparently got the worst of it. His victim called 911 after hitting Hamlett and knocking him unconscious. Hamlett had to be taken by helicopter to a local hospital, where he was put into a coma.
Hamlett was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping, but he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of assault, according to court records. He had committed four previous crimes and was sentenced to twenty years in prison.
911 call, ‘run from a bear’
Knox News was notified of the October 18 hoax trap. It was transmitted by dispatch at 11:37 p.m
“Units en route to the Cherohala Skyway area on Falls Branch Road. Take a male subject who has fallen off a cliff. He can’t move. He was running from a bear. He has a 2% battery capacity and can’t get him back to 911.
“…en route in the area of Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road. Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road to help Turkey Creek. I got a call from Polk County. They advise that the male subject fell off a cliff while running from a bear. Can’t move his legs. Hit his head. He will be at the falls….”
The 45-mile Cherohala Skyway runs through the Cherokee National Forest, a federal land, and runs to Robbinsville, North Carolina.
The Hamlett investigation involved investigators from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, who are offering a reward of up to $ 5,000 for information leading to Hamlett’s arrest.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative journalist who focuses on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by sending him an email at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Tyler_wetsteen.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: South Carolina police arrest murder suspect wanted in bear 911 call
