Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Gary Hilton is one of the most gruesome serial killers who terrorized the nation by killing several people between 2007 and 2008. As per reports, the serial killer is a suspect in many slayings but only confessed to killing four. Catching the killer was not easy, but authorities got a lead when two hikers disappeared in 2007.
As per Oxygen, police suspected something sinister was happening in the forests after receiving information about two missing hikers. The outlet mentioned that the two hikers failed to return after hiking the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina in October 2007. One of the family members filed a missing complaint in November, after which authorities initiated a search operation. Citing Ashville-Citizen Times newspaper, the aforementioned outlet said one of the hikers tried calling 911.
However, the call never went through. Unfortunately, authorities discovered a woman’s body, and an autopsy showed that it belonged to one of the hikers. The autopsy also noted that the victim had been “bludgeoned to death.”
As time progressed, authorities found another body of a white woman in the Apalachicola National Forest in December 2007, per ABC News. On the other hand, one more woman disappeared near Georgia’s Blood Mountain in January 2008. This particular disappearance turned out to be crucial for investigators in catching Gary Hilton, aka Blood Mountain killer.
How was Gary Hilton caught?
According to The Sun, a 24-year-old graduate from the University of Georgia disappeared while hiking with her dog on the Blood Mountain in Georgia. Investigators started receiving reports that people saw an older man hiking with a red dog in the same area. As a result, one of the former employees of Gary Hilton called the authorities and noted that it’s Gary Hilton. The information encouraged the police to investigate him.
Three days after the call, authorities apprehended Hilton from a convenience store after a worker identified him from news. The serial killer told the investigators that his last victim, the 24-year-old college graduate, fought him when he tried overpowering her, per NBC News. The publication also noted that the serial targeted the college graduate because “she was a woman.”
Gary Hilton also revealed that he punched the young woman to gain control. As per NBC News, Hilton wanted her credit card and PIN number. She gave her the wrong PIN number and bought herself three days. On the fourth day, the serial killer tied her to a tree and smashed her with a car jack. Hilton told investigators, “It was hard. You gotta remember we had spent several good days together.” Subsequently, the culprit was convicted for the murders he committed. In 2011, he received a death sentence for one of the slayings while serving a life sentence for another killing that took place in 2008.
Hilton is currently on death row in Florida
In June 2011, authorities charged Hilton of the kidnapping and murder of two hikers in October 2007. He pleaded guilty to the charges. As a result, the court sentenced him to life in prison, according to USA Today. Before the sentencing, Gary Hilton apologized for all the crimes he committed. He said, “Your honor, I do have remorse. I am sorry.”
According to Florida’s Department of Corrections, Hilton is currently on death row in Union Correctional Institute in Raiford, Florida.
