Wow, Foxfire, you have this threading reading like book! Just getting started, thank you for the compelling research. Again, I find it interesting how information in one case, especially the perps take on things, resonate in other cases as well.
Facts and Opinions Relating to Gary M Hilton Serial Killer???-
- Thread starter angelwngs
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AL AL - Emma Downey, 15, last seen on Maddox Farm Rd, Odenville, 12 Apr 2024
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Wow, Foxfire, you have this threading reading like book! Just getting started, thank you for the compelling research. Again, I find it interesting how information in one case, especially the perps take on things, resonate in other cases as well.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2014/oct/18/500-people-honor-the-life-of-meredith-emerson-at/
500 people honor the life of Meredith Hope Emerson at Ella's Run | VIDEO
PHOTO GALLERY --> http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/photos/galleries/2014/oct/19/ellas-run/
October 19, 2014
Around 500 people, many accompanied by their dogs, came to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center on Saturday for the seventh annual Ella’s 5K and Fun Run. The race honors and celebrates the life of Buford resident Meredith Hope Emerson, who went missing while hiking with her rescued dog Ella in Blairsville on Jan. 1, 2008. She was found several days later murdered in the woods. Emerson was an avid outdoors woman who loved hiking and animals.
Ella’s Run is an annual fundraiser for Right to Hike, a nonprofit founded by Emerson’s friends and family to raise funds and awareness for causes that were “close to Meredith’s heart.”
#“We all sat around after we lost Meredith and everything seemed to be about what happened to her and who did those things to her. We decided that wasn’t right and wanted it to be about her and her memory from the people who loved her the most. We had the support of the community and we felt we could start this whole foundation and here we are seven years later,” Julia Karrenbauer, President of Right to Hike and Emerson’s friend and roommate, said.
#Right to Hike has already donated three phone units which are in place at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford, Gary Pirkle Park in Sugar Hill and on the Suwanee Greenway.
#Before racers and walkers took off, the foundation presented five additional emergency phone units to the cities of Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Braselton and Suwanee and to the campus of Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville. Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette, Lawrenceville Chief of Police Randy Johnson, Assistant Police Chief of Braselton Lou Solis, Lilburn Chief of Police Bruce Hedley and Jason Chandler, President at Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation, were all in attendance to accept the new units.
“I’m just proud, humbled. Ecstatic to be a part of something larger than us. She had a light and was a passionate, special woman. She was very green and recycled everything, loved the outdoors, loved her friends and family,” Seyler said. “She loved Colorado and the North Georgia mountains. She was just a special person.”
<snipped - read more>
500 people honor the life of Meredith Hope Emerson at Ella's Run | VIDEO
PHOTO GALLERY --> http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/photos/galleries/2014/oct/19/ellas-run/
October 19, 2014
Around 500 people, many accompanied by their dogs, came to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center on Saturday for the seventh annual Ella’s 5K and Fun Run. The race honors and celebrates the life of Buford resident Meredith Hope Emerson, who went missing while hiking with her rescued dog Ella in Blairsville on Jan. 1, 2008. She was found several days later murdered in the woods. Emerson was an avid outdoors woman who loved hiking and animals.
Ella’s Run is an annual fundraiser for Right to Hike, a nonprofit founded by Emerson’s friends and family to raise funds and awareness for causes that were “close to Meredith’s heart.”
#“We all sat around after we lost Meredith and everything seemed to be about what happened to her and who did those things to her. We decided that wasn’t right and wanted it to be about her and her memory from the people who loved her the most. We had the support of the community and we felt we could start this whole foundation and here we are seven years later,” Julia Karrenbauer, President of Right to Hike and Emerson’s friend and roommate, said.
#Right to Hike has already donated three phone units which are in place at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford, Gary Pirkle Park in Sugar Hill and on the Suwanee Greenway.
#Before racers and walkers took off, the foundation presented five additional emergency phone units to the cities of Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Braselton and Suwanee and to the campus of Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville. Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette, Lawrenceville Chief of Police Randy Johnson, Assistant Police Chief of Braselton Lou Solis, Lilburn Chief of Police Bruce Hedley and Jason Chandler, President at Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation, were all in attendance to accept the new units.
“I’m just proud, humbled. Ecstatic to be a part of something larger than us. She had a light and was a passionate, special woman. She was very green and recycled everything, loved the outdoors, loved her friends and family,” Seyler said. “She loved Colorado and the North Georgia mountains. She was just a special person.”
<snipped - read more>
OK Foxfire, you have officially creeped me out again after all these years. Do you have any more information about those lost years of GMH? I found and watched that movie, "Deadly Run" (it's on Vimeo but I'm not sure if I should post the link). There is a scene toward the end where the "good guy" is chasing the killer in a car on an Interstate. He does exactly what I did, rapidly exiting the highway to escape the chase. That scene is just too familiar to me.
It does seem unusual to me that GMH snapped and suddenly started killing people with such skill. Right as he was tired of living a transient life and needed a warm bed, food, medical care. My imagination is running away with me but what if there are other missing women over GMH's lost years -- decades of families of other missing people who need resolution? Is anyone still looking for them? Was there a "type," like ME?
Sorry for creeping you out and for the delayed response, Loreet.. The primary reasons that I haven't written a book is that it would be difficult to show empathy for his many victims while exposing the sheer magnitude of his evil trail of terror. Simply put, the truth would likely send the reader deep into the abyss..
GMH didn't have a specific victim profile, only a preference, imo. He was an emulator. Similar to a copycat, but he copied many serial killers prior; a hybrid, imo. GMH attempted to abduct another more fortunate victim; Nancy Linkesh, off the trail at Blood Mountain, the day before MHE's abduction. As are most psychopaths, GMH was very calculating, creative, manipulative, and deflective. GMH said, " I am a hunter, a professional, a soldier on a perpetual mission"! And he was....
Loreet, GMH had more unknown victims.. Many more imo, and from my info...
____________
Local hiker had scary brush with Hilton
Gainesville woman met Emerson’s killer the day before Jan. 1/2008 kidnapping
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/archives/3320/
Nancy Linkesh will never know how close she came to being Gary Hilton's victim.
The 36-year-old Gainesville sales representative crossed paths with the suspected serial killer on the Byron Herbert Reece trail in Union County one day before he abducted Meredith Emerson there. The story of her encounter has made its rounds through cyberspace by way of a cautionary e-mail she wrote to a group of old friends.
<snipped >
Linkesh thought no more about the strange man with the dog until her husband called a few days later to tell her that he was the person of interest in Emerson's disappearance, which occurred at the same location the day after her hike.
Interviews with law enforcement officials followed, but it took several days for Linkesh to grasp the full impact of the encounter.
"I just was thinking it was a weird coincidence." she said. "I don't think I could really get my head around it."
Eventually, after talking with a family member, Linkesh came to the conclusion that Hilton had been "shopping her" as a potential victim.
"As time went on it dawned on me that it was a really close call," she said.
She sent out the e-mail to a small group of old friends as a cautionary story, telling them "to keep in mind that the world is full of bad people and they are very good at manipulating situations to get you involved with them ... ‘Stranger Danger' applies to grown-ups, too."
<snipped - read more>
___________________
Imo, GMH, began preying on unsuspecting victims at a very early age..
When asked by one of the jailers at the Dawson Co. GA, Detention Ctr., 'If you are so intelligent, why were you arrested'? Sixty one year old Hilton’s response, 'they haven't caught me since I was 14 years old'.. GMH shot his stepfather at the age of 14.
With a search or two, there are many more fortunate victims of GMH that shared their close call scenarios. Imo, from the signs and indicators, from time to time GMH would link up with others to carry out his heinous crimes.. Imo, GMH had associates and did not always stalk his unsuspecting victims alone..
‘A more Fortunate victim of Gary Michael Hilton’
Tyrra Meserve, grew up in San Diego, during the ‘Night Stalker’ tragedy. It left a deep impact on her as well as the entire community.
The following is a story written by her:
A Close Encounter With A Killer Mind By Tyrra B Meserve Greene Publishing, Inc.
Since the beginning of time, within every culture, in every society, there have been those who are incapable of adapting and blending within the boundaries of their communal environment. Driven by a force that is incomprehensible to the peers upon which they prey, they feed on the terror and panic their crimes leave in the heart of the community. Unable to control their carnal desires for more than just brief moments, they reside in the dark recesses of the mind, opportunistically seizing victims to compensate for shortcomings they themselves are unable to overcome. Behind false smiles, it is truly then that the eyes become the window to the soul, or in some cases, the lack thereof.In most instances, the serial killer acts alone, extracting pleasure from the anonymity that he presents. However, in rare cases, these predators find in each other a kindred mind, linking up to work together, proving the old adage of water seeking its own level, even for heinous reasons.
Whether the union is long-term, or short-lived, these serial killing partners present a unique problem for law enforcement officers trying to solve crimes.Recent developments have allowed Gary Michael Hilton to be charged with the murder of Meredith Emerson, and Cheryl Dunlap, however, questions still remain regarding Hilton’s involvement with other unsolved murders. It is currently under investigation as to whether Hilton is indeed a serial killer, and, if so, how many other victims did he claim, and, in what areas. In a recent interview with a Madison County resident, there has also now arisen the question as to if Hilton acted entirely alone.
Debra Stephens, a Madison resident for many years, recalls a strange event that took place back in 2000. A local, who knew some of the more obscure river access points and sun-bathing spots, was taking advantage of a warm summer’s day and the company of her dogs. As she was lying on her towel, soaking up rays, Stephens was startled by her companions barking.“There’s canoers who go up and down the river all the time,” she said “so I didn’t think anything of it at first. Then I noticed there weren’t any other boats in the water and the dogs were focusing up the hill on the other bank.”Following their line of sight, Stephens noticed two men standing at the top of the hill, on the other side of the river, watching her.“I thought it was kind of odd when I noticed they were wearing blue jeans, sunglasses and boots. Not really boating clothes, if you know what I mean.”When the men stepped back into the shadows of the trees and did not reappear, Stephens said her apprehension abated a bit and she returned to sunbathing.
Then, a few minutes later, the dogs started barking again and Stephens, now nervous, looked around once more. The dogs, trotting ahead of her, rounded a close bend and Stephens walked straight down to the waters edge to get a better view.“This older guy was paddling down in a canoe and it looked as though he was having a time of it. It was only he and his dog. At first, he asked if this was where they picked up the people for canoe rides. When I said no, this is private property, he kind of looked around, up the hill where the two guys had been.”It was at this point that Stephens said the older man looked like he accidentally flipped the canoe, trapping the dog underneath. As Stephens was debating whether or not she should jump in and help, she noticed the man glancing up, occasionally looking up towards where she had seen the other two men earlier.“He made it to the other bank and acted like he was going to lift the canoe,” Stephens remembered, “but then he just kept looking around and his dog was just laying there. His dog didn’t bark back at my dogs or anything. It was weird. It was almost like the dog had been through this before and he was trained.
”When the man fell to the ground, he appeared to accidentally push his canoe back into the water where it started to float downstream. Deciding to lend a hand, Stevens started to get into the water on the opposite bank.“I looked up and there was one of the guys I had seen earlier, about halfway down the hill. I shouted up to him Hey, that man needs help, but he just looked at the older man, turned around and walked back up into the trees.”Stephens stopped the canoe from floating away, and then gave it a good shove back toward the old man on the bank. Deciding it was about time to head home, Stephens kept an eye on the man as she swam back to her side of the shore, gathered her things and got set to leave.“As I was walking back down the river bank to my truck, I glanced up the hill and there were those same two guys again. Well, one of them looked down at the older man and he looked back up at the guy and I thought they nodded at each other. When I passed by them on my side of the river, I remember thinking, now that’s weird; he doesn’t have anything in the canoe. Nothing, I mean, normally people have a life preserver, equipment, something. He didn’t. It was completely empty. Just him, his dog and a cane.
”Stephens also found it disturbing that, as she passed the scene, both men that she had seen earlier had not only re-emerged, but they had picked up the canoe and were carrying it up the hill with the older man and his dog in tow.“I noticed that he wasn’t using his walking cane,” Stephens recalled. “He just followed them up the hill until they disappeared. That’s when I wondered how he had gotten the canoe down to the river by himself. There’s not a lot of places where we were at that you can drive up and drop a canoe, you have to hike it in and that didn’t seem like something he could have done by himself.
“When I got home, I told a couple of people what had happened and they just told me I was nuts. I couldn’t help thinking that if I had gone over to their side of the river, I wouldn’t have made it back, but everyone I told laughed and said nobody was trying to get me, so I just pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to forget it.”Then, watching the news recently, Stephens got a jolt. A little thinner, a little older looking and worse for wear, Gary Michael Hilton looked like the man she had seen that day.“Naw,” Stephens said to herself. “I’m just spooked.”Letting it go once more, a week passed before on another airing of the local news, Stephens got a chance to hear Hilton speak.“I jumped out of my chair,” she said, “yelling, That’s Him! That’s the *!#* man from the river.”They were trying to get me,” Stephens stated with conviction “I know that now. I could feel that something wasn’t right. It was like they knew each other.
It just felt wrong.”Sergeant Tim Baxter of the Leon County Sheriff’s Department was not able to give much information due to Hilton’s ongoing investigation; however, he is interested in connecting Stevens with the right authorities to take her statement.“The FBI is working with the different case investigators, developing a long term timeline for Hilton,” Baxter stated. “They are going back to before (Hilton) was born. So far, we believe he’s a loner, but we want to know where he’s been and whom he’s been seen with. We don’t want to rule out connections he may have to other cases.”As police still gather leads linking Hilton with other crimes, they are tracing his footsteps in the past. Only time will tell if police have caught all the right men.
Staff writer Tyrra B Meserve can be reached at tyrra@greenepublishing.com
‘A more Fortunate victim of Gary Michael Hilton’
Tyrra Meserve, grew up in San Diego, during the ‘Night Stalker’ tragedy. It left a deep impact on her as well as the entire community.
The following is a story written by her:
A Close Encounter With A Killer Mind By Tyrra B Meserve Greene Publishing, Inc.
Since the beginning of time, within every culture, in every society, there have been those who are incapable of adapting and blending within the boundaries of their communal environment. Driven by a force that is incomprehensible to the peers upon which they prey, they feed on the terror and panic their crimes leave in the heart of the community. Unable to control their carnal desires for more than just brief moments, they reside in the dark recesses of the mind, opportunistically seizing victims to compensate for shortcomings they themselves are unable to overcome. Behind false smiles, it is truly then that the eyes become the window to the soul, or in some cases, the lack thereof.In most instances, the serial killer acts alone, extracting pleasure from the anonymity that he presents. However, in rare cases, these predators find in each other a kindred mind, linking up to work together, proving the old adage of water seeking its own level, even for heinous reasons.
Whether the union is long-term, or short-lived, these serial killing partners present a unique problem for law enforcement officers trying to solve crimes.Recent developments have allowed Gary Michael Hilton to be charged with the murder of Meredith Emerson, and Cheryl Dunlap, however, questions still remain regarding Hilton’s involvement with other unsolved murders. It is currently under investigation as to whether Hilton is indeed a serial killer, and, if so, how many other victims did he claim, and, in what areas. In a recent interview with a Madison County resident, there has also now arisen the question as to if Hilton acted entirely alone.
Debra Stephens, a Madison resident for many years, recalls a strange event that took place back in 2000. A local, who knew some of the more obscure river access points and sun-bathing spots, was taking advantage of a warm summer’s day and the company of her dogs. As she was lying on her towel, soaking up rays, Stephens was startled by her companions barking.“There’s canoers who go up and down the river all the time,” she said “so I didn’t think anything of it at first. Then I noticed there weren’t any other boats in the water and the dogs were focusing up the hill on the other bank.”Following their line of sight, Stephens noticed two men standing at the top of the hill, on the other side of the river, watching her.“I thought it was kind of odd when I noticed they were wearing blue jeans, sunglasses and boots. Not really boating clothes, if you know what I mean.”When the men stepped back into the shadows of the trees and did not reappear, Stephens said her apprehension abated a bit and she returned to sunbathing.
Then, a few minutes later, the dogs started barking again and Stephens, now nervous, looked around once more. The dogs, trotting ahead of her, rounded a close bend and Stephens walked straight down to the waters edge to get a better view.“This older guy was paddling down in a canoe and it looked as though he was having a time of it. It was only he and his dog. At first, he asked if this was where they picked up the people for canoe rides. When I said no, this is private property, he kind of looked around, up the hill where the two guys had been.”It was at this point that Stephens said the older man looked like he accidentally flipped the canoe, trapping the dog underneath. As Stephens was debating whether or not she should jump in and help, she noticed the man glancing up, occasionally looking up towards where she had seen the other two men earlier.“He made it to the other bank and acted like he was going to lift the canoe,” Stephens remembered, “but then he just kept looking around and his dog was just laying there. His dog didn’t bark back at my dogs or anything. It was weird. It was almost like the dog had been through this before and he was trained.
”When the man fell to the ground, he appeared to accidentally push his canoe back into the water where it started to float downstream. Deciding to lend a hand, Stevens started to get into the water on the opposite bank.“I looked up and there was one of the guys I had seen earlier, about halfway down the hill. I shouted up to him Hey, that man needs help, but he just looked at the older man, turned around and walked back up into the trees.”Stephens stopped the canoe from floating away, and then gave it a good shove back toward the old man on the bank. Deciding it was about time to head home, Stephens kept an eye on the man as she swam back to her side of the shore, gathered her things and got set to leave.“As I was walking back down the river bank to my truck, I glanced up the hill and there were those same two guys again. Well, one of them looked down at the older man and he looked back up at the guy and I thought they nodded at each other. When I passed by them on my side of the river, I remember thinking, now that’s weird; he doesn’t have anything in the canoe. Nothing, I mean, normally people have a life preserver, equipment, something. He didn’t. It was completely empty. Just him, his dog and a cane.
”Stephens also found it disturbing that, as she passed the scene, both men that she had seen earlier had not only re-emerged, but they had picked up the canoe and were carrying it up the hill with the older man and his dog in tow.“I noticed that he wasn’t using his walking cane,” Stephens recalled. “He just followed them up the hill until they disappeared. That’s when I wondered how he had gotten the canoe down to the river by himself. There’s not a lot of places where we were at that you can drive up and drop a canoe, you have to hike it in and that didn’t seem like something he could have done by himself.
“When I got home, I told a couple of people what had happened and they just told me I was nuts. I couldn’t help thinking that if I had gone over to their side of the river, I wouldn’t have made it back, but everyone I told laughed and said nobody was trying to get me, so I just pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to forget it.”Then, watching the news recently, Stephens got a jolt. A little thinner, a little older looking and worse for wear, Gary Michael Hilton looked like the man she had seen that day.“Naw,” Stephens said to herself. “I’m just spooked.”Letting it go once more, a week passed before on another airing of the local news, Stephens got a chance to hear Hilton speak.“I jumped out of my chair,” she said, “yelling, That’s Him! That’s the *!#* man from the river.”They were trying to get me,” Stephens stated with conviction “I know that now. I could feel that something wasn’t right. It was like they knew each other.
It just felt wrong.”Sergeant Tim Baxter of the Leon County Sheriff’s Department was not able to give much information due to Hilton’s ongoing investigation; however, he is interested in connecting Stevens with the right authorities to take her statement.“The FBI is working with the different case investigators, developing a long term timeline for Hilton,” Baxter stated. “They are going back to before (Hilton) was born. So far, we believe he’s a loner, but we want to know where he’s been and whom he’s been seen with. We don’t want to rule out connections he may have to other cases.”As police still gather leads linking Hilton with other crimes, they are tracing his footsteps in the past. Only time will tell if police have caught all the right men.
Staff writer Tyrra B Meserve can be reached at tyrra@greenepublishing.com
<snipped from the transcript of the GBI interview with GMH <CB; GBI Agent - GMH; Gary Michael Hilton> on 01/07/2008 in route to Dawson Forest WMA- Atlanta Tract, to show the location of Meredith Emerson's remains>
<BBM for Focus>
GMH: BUT I, THAT ANY DNA SHE MAY HAVE PICKED UP FROM MY CLOTHES, SHE’D BEEN WEARING MY CLOTHES FOR NOW WHAT, THREE DAYS. . .
CB: RIGHT.
GMH: OR SOMETHING AND . . .
CB: UH
GMH: SHE, YOU KNOW, AND SO I POURED LIQUID BLEACH OVER HER AND AGAIN THIS IS NOT TO, DONE TO PRECLUDE IDENTIFICATION . . .
CB: UH
GMH: OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON . . .
CB: UH HUH.
GMH: UH, OTHER THAN AT THAT TIME I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I’D EVEN BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH HER. SO UH, AND I, I FELT, I KNEW THE BODY WOULD BE FOUND SOONER OR LATER, THESE BODIES, THE BODY IN HERE SOONER OR LATER IS GONNA COME TO LIGHT.
CB: UH HUH.
GMH: IT IS. AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST BODY THAT’S BEEN DISCARDED HERE!
< Complete Transcript of 01/07/2008 GBI interview with GMH can be found at; http://insulatedwallsystems.info/Hilton_Interview2.html >
<BBM for Focus>
GMH: BUT I, THAT ANY DNA SHE MAY HAVE PICKED UP FROM MY CLOTHES, SHE’D BEEN WEARING MY CLOTHES FOR NOW WHAT, THREE DAYS. . .
CB: RIGHT.
GMH: OR SOMETHING AND . . .
CB: UH
GMH: SHE, YOU KNOW, AND SO I POURED LIQUID BLEACH OVER HER AND AGAIN THIS IS NOT TO, DONE TO PRECLUDE IDENTIFICATION . . .
CB: UH
GMH: OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON . . .
CB: UH HUH.
GMH: UH, OTHER THAN AT THAT TIME I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I’D EVEN BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH HER. SO UH, AND I, I FELT, I KNEW THE BODY WOULD BE FOUND SOONER OR LATER, THESE BODIES, THE BODY IN HERE SOONER OR LATER IS GONNA COME TO LIGHT.
CB: UH HUH.
GMH: IT IS. AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST BODY THAT’S BEEN DISCARDED HERE!
< Complete Transcript of 01/07/2008 GBI interview with GMH can be found at; http://insulatedwallsystems.info/Hilton_Interview2.html >
http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/hiking/jennifer-pharr-davis/
02/2008 - In the past four years, Jennifer Pharr Davis has logged more miles on trails than most people will in a lifetime.
Since her first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2005, she has hiked over 6,000 miles on six continents, including a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and a summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Being on trails is where she feels most happy and comfortablealthough a tragedy earlier this year nearly changed that.
On New Years Day, 24-year-old Meredith Emerson was hiking on Georgias Blood Mountain when she was abducted by Gary Michael Hilton. Emerson struggled and courageously fought Hilton for three days before he brutally murdered her.
The two women didnt know each other, but when Davis learned about Emersons death, it felt like a personal attack. It angered her that suddenly the Appalachian woodsstatistically safer than any city streetwould be feared. So she decided to take back the wild the way she knows bestwith a hike.
This summer Davis set a supported speed record on the Appalachian Trail, completing the 2,175-mile trail in 57 days, 8 hours and 35 minutes. She also became the fifth fastest person to ever finish the trail. Hiking an average of 38 miles a day for nearly two full months, Davis dedicated the endeavor to Emersons memory. The adventure was fully supported by her husband, Brew Davis, who met her every night along the trail with food, supplies, and shelter. The couple began their A.T. adventure only a week after getting married. It certainly was not a traditional honeymoon, but it turned out to be a multi-dimensional journey of endurance, trust, and redemption.
You dedicated the hike to someone you never met. Why?
JPD: When the Gary Michael Hilton murders came into the news, they deeply affected me. Meredith Emerson was the capstone. I wanted to do something for her, so this hike became a memorial. I wasnt set on doing it publicly at first, but I got in touch with her father and asked him what he wanted. He wanted me to make it as public as possible.
Were you trying to recapture a feeling of peace in the wild after what had happened to Meredith?
The woods are a place where I feel safe and at home, but after Hiltons murders, I felt like the woods had been tainted. I hated that one person could have such a negative effect on a place thats so pure. I wanted to prove that it was safe, and that there were more people out there that will help you than hurt you. Evil feels out of place in the woods. This summer reminded me of that, and I wanted to pass the message on to others.
How did the end result differ from what you initially expected?
At the beginning of the hike, I was trying to honor Meredith. About halfway through the hike, someone sent me an article about the murder trial proceedings. During the trial it came out that she had fought Gary Michael Hilton for three days to preserve her life and lead him to justice. She was giving him the wrong pin number for her ATM card and physically fighting back when she had the opportunity. The authorities said her instincts and courage ended up leading them to Hilton. It made me realize that she was the reason he was caught, and if it wasnt for her, he could still be out there victimizing people on the trailme, my husband, or a friend. So by the end of the hike, it ended up being more of a thank you to Meredith. I wanted to highlight her as a hero.
<snipped - read more>
02/2008 - In the past four years, Jennifer Pharr Davis has logged more miles on trails than most people will in a lifetime.
Since her first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2005, she has hiked over 6,000 miles on six continents, including a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and a summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Being on trails is where she feels most happy and comfortablealthough a tragedy earlier this year nearly changed that.
On New Years Day, 24-year-old Meredith Emerson was hiking on Georgias Blood Mountain when she was abducted by Gary Michael Hilton. Emerson struggled and courageously fought Hilton for three days before he brutally murdered her.
The two women didnt know each other, but when Davis learned about Emersons death, it felt like a personal attack. It angered her that suddenly the Appalachian woodsstatistically safer than any city streetwould be feared. So she decided to take back the wild the way she knows bestwith a hike.
This summer Davis set a supported speed record on the Appalachian Trail, completing the 2,175-mile trail in 57 days, 8 hours and 35 minutes. She also became the fifth fastest person to ever finish the trail. Hiking an average of 38 miles a day for nearly two full months, Davis dedicated the endeavor to Emersons memory. The adventure was fully supported by her husband, Brew Davis, who met her every night along the trail with food, supplies, and shelter. The couple began their A.T. adventure only a week after getting married. It certainly was not a traditional honeymoon, but it turned out to be a multi-dimensional journey of endurance, trust, and redemption.
You dedicated the hike to someone you never met. Why?
JPD: When the Gary Michael Hilton murders came into the news, they deeply affected me. Meredith Emerson was the capstone. I wanted to do something for her, so this hike became a memorial. I wasnt set on doing it publicly at first, but I got in touch with her father and asked him what he wanted. He wanted me to make it as public as possible.
Were you trying to recapture a feeling of peace in the wild after what had happened to Meredith?
The woods are a place where I feel safe and at home, but after Hiltons murders, I felt like the woods had been tainted. I hated that one person could have such a negative effect on a place thats so pure. I wanted to prove that it was safe, and that there were more people out there that will help you than hurt you. Evil feels out of place in the woods. This summer reminded me of that, and I wanted to pass the message on to others.
How did the end result differ from what you initially expected?
At the beginning of the hike, I was trying to honor Meredith. About halfway through the hike, someone sent me an article about the murder trial proceedings. During the trial it came out that she had fought Gary Michael Hilton for three days to preserve her life and lead him to justice. She was giving him the wrong pin number for her ATM card and physically fighting back when she had the opportunity. The authorities said her instincts and courage ended up leading them to Hilton. It made me realize that she was the reason he was caught, and if it wasnt for her, he could still be out there victimizing people on the trailme, my husband, or a friend. So by the end of the hike, it ended up being more of a thank you to Meredith. I wanted to highlight her as a hero.
<snipped - read more>
"Unbelievable"!!! Serial Killer Gary M. Hilton, will likely die of natural causes while on death row, imo. 'Justice delayed is Justice denied for his many victims, their families, and their loved ones'..
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...led-unconstitutional-by-supreme-court/2260930
U.S. Supreme Court rules Florida's death penalty system is unconstitutional
Anna M. PhillipsAnna M. Phillips, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 12:59pm
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's unique capital sentencing system on Tuesday in a ruling that found the state gives too much power to judges, and not enough to juries, to impose the death penalty.
In an 8-1 opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the majority, said that the state's sentencing procedure is unconstitutional because juries play an advisory role in recommending life or death. State law requires judges to make the final decision, after giving "great weight" to jurors' recommendations.
HURST V. FLORIDA: Read the court's full opinion
Experts said the decision will likely lead to a wave of appeals from many of the 390 inmates on death row in Florida, which has the second most after California.
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...led-unconstitutional-by-supreme-court/2260930
U.S. Supreme Court rules Florida's death penalty system is unconstitutional
Anna M. PhillipsAnna M. Phillips, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 12:59pm
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's unique capital sentencing system on Tuesday in a ruling that found the state gives too much power to judges, and not enough to juries, to impose the death penalty.
In an 8-1 opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the majority, said that the state's sentencing procedure is unconstitutional because juries play an advisory role in recommending life or death. State law requires judges to make the final decision, after giving "great weight" to jurors' recommendations.
HURST V. FLORIDA: Read the court's full opinion
Experts said the decision will likely lead to a wave of appeals from many of the 390 inmates on death row in Florida, which has the second most after California.
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TRAIL OF DEATH: THE HUNT FOR GARY HILTON PART I
He stalked the remote hiking trails of the southern United States, leaving a trail of death in his wake...
http://www.the-line-up.com/gary-hilton-trail-of-death-part-i/
He stalked the remote hiking trails of the southern United States, leaving a trail of death in his wake...
http://www.the-line-up.com/gary-hilton-trail-of-death-part-i/
http://onlineathens.com/stories/020511/new_781149904.shtml#.V6UL1fkrLcs
Hiker's killer going on trial in Florida
Posted: Saturday, February 05, 2011
By BILL KACZOR
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Plastic beads, blood, boots, charred bones and a bayonet will be key pieces of evidence as a suspected serial killer goes on trial for a second decapitation murder, a prosecutor said Friday.
Cappleman said Dunlap had gone to the forest planning to read a book and later meet a friend when she disappeared on Dec. 1, 2007.
"But this man, Mr. Hilton, as the evidence will show, had another plan for Miss Dunlap," the prosecutor said, turning and pointing at the defendant sitting behind her. "Miss Dunlap found herself in a situation, and ultimately came to an end, that is something that we only think about in nightmares."
Evidence will show Hilton held Dunlap captive for two days before killing her, Capplemen said.
Beads left in Dunlap's abandoned car matched others found at one of Hilton's forest campsites and in his backpack, she said, surmising they could have come from a strand broken during a struggle.
Microscopic evidence will show Hilton's double-bladed bayonet was used to puncture a tire on the victim's car, Cappleman said. She said Dunlap's blood was found on a sleeping bag and her DNA on a pair of hiking boots that Hilton tried to get rid of in trash bins at two Georgia convenience stores.
A charred human skull and hand bones were recovered from a burn pit on one of Hilton's campsites near where the rest of her remains had been found, Cappleman said. She said a cigarette butt with Hilton's DNA on it was found at the campsite.
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Hiker's killer going on trial in Florida
Posted: Saturday, February 05, 2011
By BILL KACZOR
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Plastic beads, blood, boots, charred bones and a bayonet will be key pieces of evidence as a suspected serial killer goes on trial for a second decapitation murder, a prosecutor said Friday.
Cappleman said Dunlap had gone to the forest planning to read a book and later meet a friend when she disappeared on Dec. 1, 2007.
"But this man, Mr. Hilton, as the evidence will show, had another plan for Miss Dunlap," the prosecutor said, turning and pointing at the defendant sitting behind her. "Miss Dunlap found herself in a situation, and ultimately came to an end, that is something that we only think about in nightmares."
Evidence will show Hilton held Dunlap captive for two days before killing her, Capplemen said.
Beads left in Dunlap's abandoned car matched others found at one of Hilton's forest campsites and in his backpack, she said, surmising they could have come from a strand broken during a struggle.
Microscopic evidence will show Hilton's double-bladed bayonet was used to puncture a tire on the victim's car, Cappleman said. She said Dunlap's blood was found on a sleeping bag and her DNA on a pair of hiking boots that Hilton tried to get rid of in trash bins at two Georgia convenience stores.
A charred human skull and hand bones were recovered from a burn pit on one of Hilton's campsites near where the rest of her remains had been found, Cappleman said. She said a cigarette butt with Hilton's DNA on it was found at the campsite.
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Published on Feb 21, 2016
Serial Killer Gary Michael Hilton, aka Gary Hilton, and Mack Hilton. Feb. 2008 GBI Background Interview, after his convicted for the murder of Meredith Hope Emerson. He would later be convicted of the murders of Cheryl Dunlap in Florida and of John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina. He is suspected of having killed more people, however he claims his spree of killings only just began after Sept. 2007 when he and his employer parted ways over disputes concerning money.
These cases were all connected with National Forest lands. He went by the name Mack the Siding Guy while he worked for John Tabor in the siding business and at the time it was known as Insulated Wall Systems and it was being run out of a house in Chamblee in Dekalb County Georgia on Clairmont Rd. where Hilton had lived and worked at since 1997.
[video=youtube;VYaW0kW4dmg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYaW0kW4dmg[/video] <Part 1 through 17>
Serial Killer Gary Michael Hilton, aka Gary Hilton, and Mack Hilton. Feb. 2008 GBI Background Interview, after his convicted for the murder of Meredith Hope Emerson. He would later be convicted of the murders of Cheryl Dunlap in Florida and of John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina. He is suspected of having killed more people, however he claims his spree of killings only just began after Sept. 2007 when he and his employer parted ways over disputes concerning money.
These cases were all connected with National Forest lands. He went by the name Mack the Siding Guy while he worked for John Tabor in the siding business and at the time it was known as Insulated Wall Systems and it was being run out of a house in Chamblee in Dekalb County Georgia on Clairmont Rd. where Hilton had lived and worked at since 1997.
[video=youtube;VYaW0kW4dmg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYaW0kW4dmg[/video] <Part 1 through 17>
Published on Feb 27, 2016
Cleo Hilton Dabag was Gary Hilton's Mother. She is now deceased. She gave this interview to the GBI after the Murder conviction of her son in the death of Meredith Emerson. It was done Feb. 1, 2008 at her home in South Carolina. She would soon die from Cancer. This interview was played for the jury during the death penalty trial of Gary Hilton for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Florida.
[video=youtube;xwJeqPcjLW8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwJeqPcjLW8[/video]
Cleo Hilton Dabag was Gary Hilton's Mother. She is now deceased. She gave this interview to the GBI after the Murder conviction of her son in the death of Meredith Emerson. It was done Feb. 1, 2008 at her home in South Carolina. She would soon die from Cancer. This interview was played for the jury during the death penalty trial of Gary Hilton for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Florida.
[video=youtube;xwJeqPcjLW8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwJeqPcjLW8[/video]
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/after-5-years-notorious-crime-still-haunts/nTyq3/
After 5 years, notorious crime still haunts
Witness, authorities left asking, 'What if?'
By Bill Torpy0

Posted: 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013
Eerie and disturbing is how Seth Blankenship recalls the scene he encountered on Blood Mountain on the afternoon of New Year’s Day 2008.
The hiking trail before him was torn up like there had been a fight. Water bottles, a leather dog leash, sun glasses, a police baton and a women’s hair barrette littered the ground.
Blankenship did not know exactly what had just transpired or the horror that was about to unfold. At this moment, he was what an excruciating number of others would soon become — one step behind serial killer Gary Hilton.
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After 5 years, notorious crime still haunts
Witness, authorities left asking, 'What if?'
By Bill Torpy0

Posted: 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013
Eerie and disturbing is how Seth Blankenship recalls the scene he encountered on Blood Mountain on the afternoon of New Year’s Day 2008.
The hiking trail before him was torn up like there had been a fight. Water bottles, a leather dog leash, sun glasses, a police baton and a women’s hair barrette littered the ground.
Blankenship did not know exactly what had just transpired or the horror that was about to unfold. At this moment, he was what an excruciating number of others would soon become — one step behind serial killer Gary Hilton.
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stillwatersc
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Thanks. I never saw this before.