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Thread: Gary Michael Hilton - Florida Death Row

  1. #21
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    Serial killer Hilton in Buncombe jail awaiting trial

    ASHEVILLE — Serial killer Gary Michael Hilton now sits in the Buncombe County jail awaiting trial for the kidnapping and murder of a Henderson County couple.

    The U.S. Marshal Service brought Hilton to North Carolina from a prison in Raiford, Fla., following his indictment by a federal grand jury last month in the slayings of John and Irene Bryant. Hilton, 65, is scheduled to appear before a judge in U.S. District Court in Asheville on Monday for an arraignment and detention hearing. Prosecutors said in court papers they plan to seek the death penalty.

    The U.S. Attorney's Office said he will remain here until the case is concluded. The Marshal Service contracts with the Buncombe jail to house federal inmates awaiting trial.

    John Bryant, 80, and Irene Bryant, 84, of Horse Shoe, disappeared on Oct. 21, 2007, while hiking in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.

    Searchers found the body of Irene Bryant near a trail off Yellow Gap Road in the national forest north of Brevard. She died of multiple blows to the head and had her right forearm severed, according to an autopsy.

    Someone used the Bryants' ATM card in Ducktown, Tenn., the day after she was killed.

    The skeletal remains of John Bryant were later found by a hunter about 30 yards down a bank off a U.S. Forest Service road near Franklin. An autopsy determined that he died of a gunshot wound to the head.

    Hilton has already been sentenced to death in Florida for a murder in that state, and he was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of a hiker in Georgia. Authorities said those cases have similarities to the killings of the Bryants.

    http://www.citizen-times.com/article...text|Frontpage

  2. #22
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    NC court case begins in forest killings of hikers

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Irene and John Bryant loved to hike so much that they followed their passion around the world, tramping across Europe, New Zealand and up and down the length of the Appalachian Trail, collecting exotic beers and snapping photographs for their annual Christmas cards.

    But it was on a walk not far from their Hendersonville home where they were killed nearly four years ago, prosecutors say, by a drifter who would soon be arrested and convicted of murders in Georgia and Florida.

    On Monday, Gary Michael Hilton is set to appear in U.S. District Court in Asheville to face charges of kidnapping, robbery and murder in the deaths of the Bryants. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty on top of sentences the 65-year-old Hilton has already received: life in prison for the murder of Meredith Emerson in Georgia and death row for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Florida. The case is being handled in federal court because the Bryants were killed in a national forest.

    "What really ticks you off about this whole thing is, they used to backpack and hike all over the world," said Charlie Major, a longtime friend of the couple who served for decades alongside John Bryant in local government in the upstate New York town of Skaneateles. "They did the whole Appalachian Trail, they hiked from one coast of Scotland to the other. And then to go hiking and get killed almost in their own backyard is so awful it's unbelievable."

    With Hilton's court appearance looming, family and friends were focusing on memories of the Bryants' rich lives.

    "My father loved practical jokes, but nothing mean-spirited," said Holly Bryant, the couple's daughter, who now lives in Florida. "My mom was a bit more serious, I guess, but it obviously worked because they were married forever."

    John Bryant -- Jack to his friends -- met the former Irene Woods on a blind date in Montana when he was working on a hydroelectric project there, after serving in the Navy during World War II. She was a veterinarian and he was an engineer. They were married on July 9, 1949 and stayed together for 58 years, raising four children, moving from Montana to New York to North Carolina, and logging thousands of miles hiking the scenic places of the world.

    "They both led very rich, very full lives, and they didn't just stop when they got older," Holly Bryant said.

    After moving to New York, Jack got a law degree from Cornell University and co-founded a construction industry law firm in Syracuse while working as attorney for the little town of Skaneateles. Major, who has been everything in town from judge to commissioner, would chide Jack for charging fees that were below the going rate -- and then watch in astonishment every year when Jack gave the town a further 25 percent discount at Christmas.

    "You don't get many attorneys like that," Major said. "He'd just say, `This is my contribution to the community."'

    In those days, votes in town elections were tallied in the Bryants' home, and Major remembers the trays of food and drink laid out for the exhausted poll workers -- a spread that always included souvenirs from the couples' hiking trips abroad.

    "He loved to surprise us with some unique beer he found in a foreign country," Major said.

    After their children were grown and they had retired, the Bryants moved to Hendersonville in the early 1990s. Irene became active in the local garden club and loved attending the folk festivals in the area, especially for the swatches of fabric she'd use to make quilts for her 11 grandchildren. Jack got involved in local affairs, too, but the couple was especially passionate about the breathtaking vistas afforded by hiking along the mountains of western North Carolina.

    It was there, in the Pisgah National Forest, where they encountered Hilton on Oct. 21, 2007, according to prosecutors. Investigators say 84-year-old Irene was beaten to death and Jack, 80, was shot after Hilton camped on the trail waiting for victims. It was a month before Irene's body was found and four months before a hunter discovered the skeletal remains of her husband. A 911 call was made from the couple's cell phone the day they started their hike, but the signal was dropped, police said.

    The next day, $300 was taken from the couple's bank account using their ATM card in Tennessee, investigators said.

    Hilton was caught by police in Georgia not long after the Bryants went on that hike. He pleaded guilty in January 2008 to killing Emerson, a 24-year-old hiker from Buford, Ga. in a northern forest in that state. He had been arrested at a local convenience store trying to get rid of her boots.

    Earlier this year, Hilton was convicted and sentenced to death for the December 2007 killing of Cheryl Dunlap, a 46-year-old nurse and Sunday school teacher whose body was found in the Apalachicola National Forest in north Florida. Both Dunlap and Emerson had been beheaded.

    Family and friends of the Bryants are following the case closely, and say no matter the outcome, the manner of the couple's deaths can't overshadow the happiness of their lives.

    "My parents traveled extensively and all over the world, they raised a family, they did what they loved," Holly Bryant said. "They enjoyed their lives to the fullest extent."

    http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?se...id=8269325cncp

  3. #23
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    Suspected serial killer Hilton to be held in NC

    Judge says suspect in killing of Horse Shoe couple won't return to Florida

    ASHEVILLE -- A U.S.magistrate ruled this morning that convicted murderer Gary Michael Hilton will be held in North Carolina while he awaits trial for the killing of an elderly Horse Shoe couple in 2007.

    Hilton appeared in court in Asheville for a detention/arraignment hearing today.

    Hilton is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and violent crimes in connection with the kidnapping, robbery and murder of John and Irene Bryant on national forest lands, according to court records.

    The couple disappeared while hiking in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County in October 2007.

    A federal indictment accuses Hilton of killing Irene Bryant, 84, in Pisgah forest on Oct. 21, 2007, and killing John Bryant, 81, on or about Feb. 2, 2008, in Nantahala National Forest in Macon County.

    The indictment includes a notice of special sentencing factors, which could be considered for imposing the federal death penalty.

    U.S. Magistrate Dennis Howell appointed two lawyers to represent Hilton in what could become a death penalty case. Kimberly Stevens of Winston-Salem will be his lead attorney, and she will be assisted by Joe Vonkallist of Charlotte.

    Howell granted a motion from Hilton's attorneys that he be held in a jail near Asheville so his lawyers can meet with him to prepare a defense. The judge did not state the precise location where Hilton will be jailed.

    If convicted of killing the Bryants, Hilton faces either a life sentence or the death penalty.

    Hilton already has two murder convictions. In April, a Florida jury sentenced him to death for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Leon County. He is also serving a life sentence for the 2008 murder of Meredith Emerson in northern Georgia.

    Members of the Bryant family were not present in the Asheville courtroom today.

    http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/...042/sitemaps04

  4. #24
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    Gary Michael Hilton Trial Delayed

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- A federal judge has agreed to delay the trial of a man accused of killing a Hendersonville couple nearly four years ago.

    Gary Michael Hilton had been scheduled for trial Sept. 6 in the deaths of John and Irene Bryant. The Bryants had disappeared October 21, 2007, in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.

    The case has been postponed until Oct. 31 to give Hilton's attorneys more time to prepare.

    Hilton has been sentenced to die for killing a Florida nurse and
    was sentenced to life in prison in the killing of a Georgia hiker.

    http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Ga...ySection=story

  5. #25
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    ‘Dateline NBC' to air segment on convicted murderer Hilton

    By John Harbin
    The Times-News

    Two of John and Irene Bryant's children say their parents deserve justice in court regardless of whether their accused killer has already been sentenced to death for another murder.

    Daughter Holly Bryant will also appear on Dateline NBC Friday to talk about her parents, who were Horse Shoe residents, during the show's segment on convicted murderer Gary Michael Hilton.

    A federal judge recently agreed to delay Hilton's latest trial in Asheville for the murder of the Bryants in order to give the defense more time to prepare.

    Hilton, 65, is accused of killing the elderly couple nearly four years ago. Hilton has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and violent crimes in connection with the kidnapping, robbery and murder of the Bryants on national forest lands, according to court records.

    In April, a Florida jury sentenced Hilton to death for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Leon County, Fla. He is also serving a life sentence for the 2008 murder of Meredith Emerson in northern Georgia.

    With the North Carolina trial approaching, Dateline has planned a show on Hilton that will focus on the Emerson murder.

    "I was interviewed by Dateline," Holly Bryant said Wednesday. "It was great to talk about how great my parents were."

    Holly Bryant has said from the beginning that she believes Hilton is guilty.

    "The trial is necessary," she said. "Until he is convicted, he is not proven guilty, and my parents deserve to have their time in court just like the other victims did.

    "I am just glad the killings have stopped. I will be glad when all of this is over and done with."

    Holly Bryant said she wouldn't have much to say to Hilton if she gets the opportunity to address him during the trial.

    "He has taken so much of our time and stolen so much from my family, I don't want to give him any more of my time," she said. "I do want to know why he chose to victimize my parents and the other women so maybe we can learn how these murders could have been prevented."

    Holly's brother, Bob Bryant, said he didn't talk to Dateline reporters other than when they called to get an update on the North Carolina trial date.

    "The trial is on my mind a lot lately," he said. "I know it's going to be difficult."

    Bob Bryant said there should absolutely be a trial for his parents. "I don't think the expense will be as much as people may think," he said. "These attorneys are salaried and they would be paid if they were working on this trial or another one. The value to my family and the community outweighs the cost incurred by the trial."

    If convicted in North Carolina, Hilton faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty. The indictment includes a notice of special sentencing factors which could be considered for imposition of the federal death penalty if convicted.

    The Bryants disappeared in October 2007 while hiking in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.

    Hilton's first-degree murder charges are for the murder of Irene Bryant in Pisgah National Forest on Oct. 21, 2007 and the murder of John Bryant on or about Feb. 2, 2008 in Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, according to the indictment.

    His kidnapping charge stems from the kidnapping of John Bryant also on Oct. 21, 2007 from the forest.

    http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/...maps?p=3&tc=pg

  6. #26
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    Judge again delays Hilton trial

    A federal judge has agreed for a second time to delay the trial of Gary Michael Hilton, who is accused in the slayings of a Hendersonville couple, to give his attorneys more time to prepare.

    Hilton was slated for trial during the Oct. 31 term of court. The case is now on the calendar for Jan 4. Hilton is charged with the murders of John and Irene Bryant, who disappeared Oct. 21, 2007, while hiking in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.

    Prosecutors have said in court papers they intend to seek the death penalty. The defendant has been already sentenced to life in prison in the killing of a Georgia hiker and to death for killing a Florida nurse.

    http://www.citizen-times.com/article...CFrontpage%7Cs

  7. #27
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    Serial killer's trial delayed

    With more than a half million documents available for review by attorneys for serial killer Gary Michael Hilton, a judge has again delayed the trial to give them more time to prepare.

    U.S. District Court Judge Martin Reidinger set a hearing date of Feb. 27, according to court documents filed this week. Hilton’s next court appearance had been set for Jan. 4.

    The court filings also indicate the possibility of a plea deal with federal prosecutors in the kidnapping and killing of a Henderson County couple.

    “Counsel has been diligently reviewing and indexing all documents in this matter, as well as conducting plea negotiations in this matter,” attorney Joseph VonKallist wrote. “Counsel does not believe that review of the discovery and further plea negotiations can be realistically conducted before the start of the upcoming criminal term.”

    Hilton, 65, was charged in July with the slayings of John and Irene Bryant, who disappeared while hiking in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County on Oct. 21, 2007.

    Prosecutors have filed court papers indicating they plan to seek the death penalty. The trial is to be held in federal court in Asheville.

    VonKallist said he has obtained more than 250 CDs and 44,000 pages of text related to the case against Hilton.

    “Counsel has been given access to an additional 500,000 documents prepared and gathered by the prior defense team who represented Mr. Hilton in Florida,” he said in the request for a continuance.

    Hilton has already been sentenced to death in Florida for the murder of a nurse out for a hike in that state, and he was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of a hiker in Georgia. Authorities said those cases have similarities to the killings of the Bryants.

    Searchers found the body of Irene Bryant, 84, near a trail off Yellow Gap Road in the national forest north of Brevard. She died of multiple blows to the head and had her right forearm severed, according to an autopsy.

    Someone used the Bryants ATM card in Ducktown, Tenn., the day after she was killed.

    The skeletal remains of John Bryant, 80, were later found by a hunter about 30 yards down a bank off a U.S. Forest Service road near Franklin. An autopsy determined that he died of a gunshot wound to the head.

    http://www.citizen-times.com/article...xt%7CFrontpage

  8. #28
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    Death Penalty Trial Delayed for Gary Michael Hilton in 2007 NC Slayings of John and Irene Bryant

    A federal judge has again delayed the death penalty trial of a twice-convicted killer who's charged with killing a couple from Hendersonville in a national forest.

    The Asheville Citizen-Times reports (http://avlne.ws/xartme) that Judge Martin Reidinger this week agreed to postpone the trial of Gary Michael Hilton until April 30.

    Hilton's lawyers say they need more time than usual to prepare, because capital punishment cases are fundamentally different from other criminal trials. They say they have to review hundreds of thousands of documents before the trial can start.

    Prosecutors say Hilton killed John and Irene Bryant, who vanished while hiking in Pisgah National Forest in 2007.

    The 65-year-old Hilton has a Florida death sentence and life in prison in Georgia for killing hikers in those states.

    http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/1...#storylink=cpy

  9. #29
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    Serial Killer Admits Murdering N.C. Couple

    Convicted serial killer Gary Michael Hilton pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering John and Irene Bryant, a Hendersonville couple who had been hiking in the North Carolina mountains.

    Gary Michael Hilton pleaded to the murders of the retired couple and to robbery, kidnapping and firearms offenses in connection with the October 2007 deaths.

    According to the plea agreement, Hilton admitted killing John Bryant in Nantahala National Forest in Macon County. Hilton also admitted to killing Irene Bryant in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.

    Hilton’s plea agreement provides that he will receive a sentence of life in prison without any possibility for parole.

    He was already sentenced to death in Florida in 2011, after being convicted of killing and decapitating Cheryl Dunlap in 2007.

    Hilton also got a life sentence in January 2008 after pleading guilty to kidnapping, raping and killing Meredith Emerson, who was hiking in Georgia.

    In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Tompkins said, “Our hearts go out to the Bryant family. No action by the criminal justice system can soothe the pain they must live with because of the actions of Gary Hilton. This is a just outcome, reached after consideration of all the facts and circumstances of this case. We trust that the fact that Mr. Hilton will spend the rest of his life in a prison, locked away from all civilized society, will bring some closure, if not comfort, to the Bryant family.”

    In April 2011, Hilton was convicted and received a death sentence for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Leon County, Florida. Hilton is also serving a life sentence for his convictions related to the 2008 murder of Meredith Emerson in Northern Georgia.

    In announcing the guilty plea, Tompkins thanked the FBI, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Transylvania County and Macon County sheriff’s offices.

    Hilton remains in local federal custody.

    http://www.wyff4.com/news/30772045/d...#ixzz1qL3mpEdi
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  10. #30
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    Oral arguments are scheduled for the 6th of September. http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/p...es/index.shtml

    Briefs are here: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/p...898/index.html

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