A 45-year-old man wanted for murder in Tennessee was arrested in Columbia, South Carolina. The suspect was taken into custody after being identified at a local hospital last weekend.
Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, was wanted for murder in Tennessee and a parole violation in Alabama. He had allegedly assumed the identity of a man he killed, falsely reporting himself as a hiker named Brandon Andrade, who had been attacked by a bear and fallen from a cliff.
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Investigators who discovered the body with Andrade’s ID determined the injuries sustained were inconsistent with a bear attack or a fall and instead determined the cause of death as blunt-force trauma to the head.
They also discovered Andrade’s ID had been stolen by Hamlett and used multiple times.
Hamlett, who had assumed the identity of a man he allegedly murdered, was reported missing in Tennessee, and a nationwide manhunt ensued, leading to Hamlett’s arrest in South Carolina.
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Hamlett was found unconscious on the side of the road this past weekend and taken to a local hospital, suffering from dehydration. A hospital worker identified Hamlett from a wanted poster and notified police.
He is expected to be extradited to Tennessee to face murder charges.
The U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, in collaboration with the FBI, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Columbia Police Department, played a crucial role in apprehending Hamlett. This arrest highlights the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies to bring dangerous criminals to justice.
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