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Four Life Sentences for Couple’s Brutal Murder
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Gary Michael Hilton, 66, has been sentenced to four life sentences for the kidnapping and murder of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant in the Nantahala National Forest and Pisgah National Forest.
According to court documents, Hilton pleaded guilty to murdering the couple in March 2012. He also pleaded guilty to robbery, kidnapping, and firearms offenses. The brutal crime occurred in October 2007.
Hilton was charged with five counts, including kidnapping, robbery, and murder, in June 2011. He admitted to killing John Bryant with a firearm in the Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, N.C. and Irene Bryant in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County, N.C.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims, and while today’s outcome cannot bring back John and Irene Bryant, it is our sincere hope that everyone impacted by Hilton’s heinous crime can finally have some closure,” said U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins.
Hilton is already serving a death sentence for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap in Leon County, Florida, and a life sentence for his conviction related to the 2008 murder of Meredith Emerson in Northern Georgia. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger ordered that Hilton’s federal life sentences be served consecutively with the sentences he received for the state convictions.
All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. The prosecution was handled by Don Gast of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville. U.S. Attorney Tompkins thanked the FBI, SBI, the U.S. Forest Service, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
Gary Michael Hilton’s lengthy and brutal crime spree has finally come to an end. With today’s sentencing, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars, serving four life sentences for the kidnapping and murder of John and Irene Bryant.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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