Gary Michael Hilton Found Guilty

A serial killer who avoided the death penalty for killing a University of Georgia graduate may face a different fate now that he has been found guilty of killing a North Florida nurse. Gary Michael Hilton has been found guilty of murder, kidnapping and grand theft in the death of Crawfordville nurse Cheryl Dunlap.

The same jury will now decide if Hilton will get the death penalty for Dunlap's death.

Hilton is already serving a life sentence for the death of Meredith Emerson, 24, whose nude, decapitated body was found the north Georgia mountains in 2008. He avoided the death penalty in that case by agreeing to a plea agreement to lead authorities to her remains.

Headless, Handless Body Found

According to testimony during his Tallahassee trial, Hilton, 64, abducted Dunlap from the Leon Sinks Geological Area on Dec. 1. 2007. The 46-year-old Sunday School teacher was killed a few days later.

Her headless and handless body was found by a hunter in the Apalachicola National Forest on Dec. 15, 2007. Bones believed to be her head and hands were found in a burn pit about five miles away in what investigators believe was one of Hilton's campsites.

When Hilton was arrested in north Georgia for the murder of Emerson, blood on a sleeping bag and pants found in his van was matched to Dunlap.

He is also the main suspect in the deaths of a couple killed in North Carolina in a National Forest, but he has not been charged in that case.

See Also:
Gary Michael Hilton Convicted in Murder of Florida Nurse

Background:
The Gary Michael Hilton Case

Forum:
Discuss The Emerson Case

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