Friday, January 18, 2008

Leon Co. authorities build case against man charged in hiker's death


Associated Press - January 17, 2008 5:54 PM ET

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Leon County investigators say they have a good case against the man accused of kidnapping and killing a hiker in Georgia with the murder of another woman, which occurred southwest of Tallahassee.

Gary Hilton was denied bond after being charged with the murder of Meredith Emerson in Georgia. Leon County investigators are mounting evidence against him for the death of Cheryl Dunlap, whose body was found December 19th in the Apalachicola National Forest.

Leon County detectives returned to Florida from North Georgia today. They were given access to more than 500 pieces of evidence taken from crime scenes in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

Sheriff Larry Campbell says the authorities want to pursue the death penalty.

He says it takes time to examine the evidence discovered and to tie the cases together, and that investigators are not in a hurry to charge Hilton with Dunlap's death.

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