Monroe County authorities have garnered national attention with the arrest of Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, a suspect in a fabricated tale of wildlife peril and a chilling murder plot. Monroe County E911 released a call, initially reported by WVLT, in which Hamlett claimed to be an injured hiker, mentioning he was being pursued by a bear. However, this narrative orchestrated by Hamlett, as police have said, was a cunning ruse.
In his emergency call, which was captured by WBIR and obtained through an open records request, Hamlett under a false guise, told responders he was in distress after falling and being chased by a bear. Running with a 2% battery, the phone signal emanated from the Skyway Falls on Branch Road. As a dispatcher from Polk County relayed to Monroe County, "He's fallen off the cliff at some waterfalls," explaining, "He fell on his head. He's hurt pretty bad. Said he can't move his leg."
Responders to the call discovered a body later identified as 34-year-old Steven Lloyd of Knoxville, initially accompanied by fraudulent identification under the name "Brandon Andrade." The case unraveled further when officials linked the suspect to life insurance policies, valued at around $8 million under Andrade's stolen identity, suggesting a grim financial motive behind Lloyd's murder. These findings were outlined in the WBIR's report.
Arrested last Sunday, after a hospital employee's tip led to his capture in South Carolina, according to details from WATE, Hamlett's past was murky with a history of violence, including a guilty plea to attempted murder and assault in 2011 in Alabama. He had been on parole since July 2016. Scheduled to appear in court today, his initial hearing had been postponed due to Hamlett being on suicide watch, intertwining the legal logistics. Sheriff Bill Franklin of Elmore County, Alabama, was responsible for sharing Hamlett's criminal background with 6 News. The case is ongoing as Monroe County Circuit Court waits for Hamlett's arraignment.
