The man wanted for murdering a man and then faking his own death in a bizarre 911 call in East Tennessee has a history of violence, including being charged with attempted murder in Alabama.
Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones announced Oct. 25 that Nicholas Hamlett used a bogus identity when he called 911 claiming he fell off a cliff while running from a bear near the scenic Cherohala Skyway. A call from Hamlett, who was using the name Brandon Andrade, prompted first responders to descend on the scene to find a man’s body with Andrade’s ID on Oct. 18, the sheriff said.
Detectives later determined the victim was not Andrade and that police had a murder case, not an accident, Jones said. Police, including the FBI, have been looking for Hamlett ever since.
The identity of the murder victim remains a mystery.
Hamlett, 45, is wanted by police in Alabama for a parole violation. He used another false name when speaking with detectives after the 911 call, Jones said. By the time his real identity had been verified, Hamlett had fled, Jones said.