KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The multistate manhunt for a man accused of killing someone and using their body to fake his own death along the Cherohala Skyway in East Tennessee.

In a bizarre 911 call last month, the suspect, Nicholas Hamlett, claimed he fell off a cliff while fleeing a bear near the scenic highway through Monroe County, Tennessee. When authorities arrived, they found the body of another man, according to local detectives.

Hamlett was captured Sunday night in Columbia, South Carolina, after being recognized by a hospital employee, who then reported the possible sighting to police. TO Colombia Police Department The officer confirmed Hamlett’s identity with a fingerprint scanner and the U.S. Marshals Service took him into custody.

Officials in South Carolina and Tennessee are coordinating his extradition. It is unclear if Hamlett has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

Tommy Jones, Monroe County Sheriff announced on October 25 that Hamlett, who used the name Brandon Andrade, called 911 on Oct. 18 in distress to say he was chased by a bear and fell off a cliff near a waterfall. Jones said first responders who arrived at the scene found the body of a man with Andrade’s identification.

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However, detectives later determined that the victim was Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville, who appears to have been murdered, Jones said.

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 Alabama police for violating his parole and had been living in East Tennessee.

On October 30 press conferenceFBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Carrico reiterated that authorities considered him very dangerous, and although the victim knew Hamlett, Jones said the murder “was not an isolated incident by any means.”

“There is a risk to the public, a huge risk to the public,” Jones said. “The offender has a history (violent criminals).”

Hamlett knew his victim

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office named Hamlett victim in Nov. 4 Facebook post. Lloyd, 34, befriended Hamlett, lured him to a wooded area along the Cherohala Skyway and murdered him so Hamlett could steal his identity, the post said.

The post did not say how long they had known each other, but said Lloyd had been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder and was known to leave home and live on the streets.

“Steven’s mental health issues had led 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 Steven trusted,” it said. the publication.

A violent past

Hamlett is wanted by Alabama police for violating his parole. In 2009 he was charged with attempted murder. in Alabama after police said he pointed a gun at a man and tried 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 the grounds that he would sell him insurance, but Hamlett threatened the man with a gun and accompanied him to a nearby wooded area with a shallow grave. But the man defended himself.

Although court records provide few details, Hamlett was seriously injured. His victim called 911 after hitting Hamlett, knocking him unconscious. Hamlett had to be airlifted to a local hospital, where he remained in a coma.

Hamlett was then charged with attempted murder and kidnapping, but accepted 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 away from a bear’

Knox News Obtained the fake crash dispatch call on October 18.

“Units en route to the Cherohala Skyway area on Falls Branch Road. Have a male subject who fell off a cliff. He can’t move. I was running away from a bear. It has 2% battery and cannot call 911 again.

“…on route in the Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road area. Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road to help Turkey Creek. I got a call from Polk County. They are reporting that a male subject fell off a cliff while fleeing from a bear. He can’t move his legs. He hit his head. It will be at the falls…”

The 43-mile Cherohala Skyway passes through the Cherokee National Forest, which is federal land, 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, 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the United States Marshals Service, which included a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Hamlett’s arrest.

Tyler Whetstone reports for the Knoxville News Sentinel.

This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel: Police capture murder suspect who faked his own death