A vigilant hospital worker in South Carolina recently helped authorities capture a fugitive from Tennessee, Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who allegedly murdered a man and tried to cover up the crime as a bear attack. The alert employee recognized Hamlett and promptly informed local law enforcement, who then arrested him. After a fingerprint scan confirmed his identity, Hamlett was placed in the custody of U.S. Marshals and is awaiting extradition to Tennessee.
Hamlett faces a first-degree murder charge for the killing of 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd. Investigators allege that Hamlett befriended Lloyd with a calculated intent to kill him and assume his identity. According to detectives, Lloyd had struggled with mental health issues dating back to his adoption as a child. His adoptive family noted that Lloyd’s history left him with trust issues, and he was sometimes homeless, which Hamlett may have exploited. Investigators say Hamlett lured Lloyd into a remote wooded area and devised an elaborate plan to stage the killing as a bear attack to disguise his involvement.
In late October, Monroe County’s E-911 center received a call from a man who introduced himself as “Brandon Andrade” and claimed to be a distressed hiker fleeing a bear. The caller reported that he had fallen off a cliff and was injured, lying partially in water near the Cherohala Skyway’s Charles Hall Bridge in Tellico Plains. Emergency responders immediately launched a search, and when they arrived, they found a deceased man at the scene with identification showing the name Brandon Kristopher Andrade. However, upon further investigation, authorities discovered that the body did not belong to Andrade, and that the ID found with the victim had been stolen and used by Hamlett on several occasions.
This revelation led to further scrutiny of Hamlett’s activities and movements, including the discovery that he was wanted on a parole violation in Alabama. Additionally, residents in Chapin, South Carolina, about 20 miles from Columbia, had spotted Hamlett on Halloween night, which provided further leads for law enforcement.
Hamlett’s alleged scheme involved more than simply stealing Lloyd’s identity; authorities believe he meticulously planned every detail of the killing and staged the scene to mislead investigators. His attempts to fabricate a bear attack appear to have been part of a broader strategy to avoid suspicion while assuming Lloyd’s identity.
Despite the lengths Hamlett allegedly went to in order to cover his tracks, the case took a decisive turn when the hospital employee identified him. Thanks to the worker’s sharp observation and quick action, law enforcement apprehended Hamlett, putting an end to his brief escape. Hamlett now faces the consequences of the brutal crime and is expected to return to Tennessee to face trial for the murder.
This case is a grim reminder of the depths to which some individuals may go to escape justice and the critical role that everyday citizens play in assisting law enforcement. The hospital worker’s awareness and decision to alert authorities exemplify the power of vigilance in the face of danger, ultimately helping to bring a dangerous fugitive to justice.
