Over the weekend, a man suspected of a murder staged to look like a fatal bear attack was apprehended in South Carolina. The suspect, 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, was taken into custody without incident in Columbia, South Carolina, after being identified at a local hospital. The arrest was confirmed by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to confirm Hamlett’s identity using his fingerprints. Hamlett is facing charges of first-degree murder in Monroe County, Tennessee, and a parole violation in Alabama. It remains uncertain whether Hamlett has secured legal representation.
The case began unfolding on October 18 when a 911 call was made by a man claiming to be Brandon Andrade. The caller portrayed himself as a hiker in distress who had fallen off a cliff while fleeing from a bear on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
Upon arrival at the scene, first responders discovered a deceased man carrying identification for Andrade. However, investigators later determined that the deceased was not Andrade. They found that Andrade’s identification had been stolen and used multiple times. Further investigation revealed that Hamlett had been using Andrade’s stolen identification and was wanted in Alabama for a parole violation.
The deceased was eventually identified as 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd from Knoxville, Tennessee. Lloyd, who had a mental health disorder, was known to occasionally leave his home and live on the streets. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office stated that Hamlett had befriended Lloyd and lured him into a wooded area with the intention of taking his life and assuming his identity.
The Sheriff’s Office added that Lloyd’s family was devastated to learn that their son’s life had been taken by someone he trusted.