The nationwide manhunt has ended for the man police wanted for murder after they said he used a bogus identity to fake his own death in a bizarre 911 call claiming he fell off a cliff while running from a bear near the scenic Cherohala Skyway.
A hospital employee in Columbia, South Carolina, recognized Nicholas Hamlett and called police, the Columbia Police Department shared the evening of Nov. 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 Oct. 25 that Hamlett, who was using the name Brandon Andrade, called 911 Oct. 18 in distress to say he was chased by a bear and fell off a cliff near a waterfall. Jones said first responders descending on the scene found a man’s body with Andrade’s ID.
However, detectives later determined 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 from blunt force trauma to the head, injuries not consistent with a bear attack or a fall.
Hamlett, 45, was wanted by police in Alabama for a parole violation and had been living in East Tennessee. He was not a Monroe County resident, however.
In an Oct. 30 news conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Carrico made a direct plea to Hamlett and Jones reiterated that law enforcement considered him very dangerous and though the victim knew Hamlett, Jones said the killing wasn’t an isolated incident.
“Nic, let’s end this peacefully,” Carrico said. “Turn yourself in. Have your day in court.
“We will find you, no matter where you hide.”
Hamlett knew his victim
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office named Hamlett’s victim in an Oct. 4 Facebook post. Lloyd, 34, was befriended by Hamlett, lured to a wooded area along the Cherohala Skyway and murdered so Hamlett could steal his identity, the post said.
The post did not say how long the two knew 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 lead 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 that Steven trusted,” the post said.
A violent past
Hamlett is wanted by police in Alabama for a parole violation. In 2009 he was charged with attempted murder in Alabama after police said he held a man at gunpoint and attempted to hit 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 on claims he would sell him insurance, but Hamlett held him at gunpoint and walked him to nearby wooded area with a shallow grave. But the man fought back.
Though court records provide few details, Hamlett apparently got the worst of it. His victim called 911 after striking Hamlett, knocking him unconscious. Hamlett had to be taken by helicopter to a local hospital, where he was placed in a coma.
Hamlett was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping, but took a lesser plea of felony assault, according to court records. He had four prior felonies and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
911 call, ‘running from a bear’
Knox News obtained the dispatch call of the Oct. 18 fake fall. It was relayed by dispatch at 11:37 p.m.
“Units enroute to the area of Cherohala Skyway at Falls Branch Road. Have a male subject that fell off a cliff. He is unable to move. He was running from a bear. He has 2% battery – unable to get him back on 911.
“… en route in the area of Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road. Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road to assist Turkey Creek. Got a call from Polk County. They’re advising male subject fell off a cliff while he was running from a bear. Not able to move his legs. Did hit his head. He’s going to be at the falls …”
The 43-mile Cherohala Skyway passes through the Cherokee National Forest, which is federal land and runs to Robbinsville, North Carolina.
The investigation into Hamlett included 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 included a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to Hamlett’s arrest.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: South Carolina police capture murder suspect wanted in bear 911 call
