Offender Record · OFF-2026-097
Gary Michael Hilton (photo from the Radford University biography)
Gary Michael Hilton
Also known as National Forest Serial Killer, Beast of Blood Mountain
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'10"
Born
1946
Custody
Incarcerated
States
FL, GA, DE, GE, TX
Distinguishing featuresNo distinctive physical features documented in records; described as graying, older-appearing in 2007-2008.
Custody
Incarcerated at Union Correctional Institution · #unknown
Custody record at the facility
Florida Department of Corrections records show Hilton has been on Florida's death row since April 2011.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Gary Michael Hilton, born November 22, 1946, is responsible for four known homicides between 2007 and 2008 committed in three states. On January 30, 2008, Gary Hilton entered a plea of guilty to the murder of Emerson. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole in 30 years. On February 28, 2008, a Leon County grand jury indicted Gary Michael Hilton for the first-degree murder of Cheryl Dunlap between December 1 and December 15, 2007, kidnapping, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and grand theft of currency. The court followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Hilton to death. Gary Michael Hilton entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for the murders of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant. Hilton also pled guilty to robbery, kidnapping, and firearms offenses in connection with the October 2007 murders of the elderly victims. Hilton remains a suspect in several other killings and is on Florida's death row since April 2011, held at the Union Correctional Institute.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Oct 21, 2007, Macon County, North Carolina
Murder (federal)
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · Docket Federal grand jury indictment June 2011 · 18 U.S.C. § 1111 (federal murder on national forest lands) · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Four consecutive life sentences (two for murders, sentence April 25, 2013)
Hilton admitted to killing John Bryant within the Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, North Carolina using a firearm. In October 2007, Hilton kidnapped the Bryants from their North Carolina campsite, shot John Bryant in Nantahala National Forest, and later killed Irene Bryant in Pisgah National Forest.
SourcesFBI: Gary Michael Hilton Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges; FBI: Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced to Four Life Sentences; Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced To Four Life Sentences
Offense date Oct 21, 2007, North Carolina
Robbery (federal)
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · Docket Federal five-count indictment June 2011 · 18 U.S.C. § 1951 (federal robbery) · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 15 years in prison
Gary Michael Hilton was sentenced to four life sentences today in U.S. District Court for the kidnapping and murder of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant and to 15 years in prison for a related robbery offense.
SourcesFBI: Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced to Four Life Sentences; Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced To Four Life Sentences
Offense date Oct 21, 2007, Macon County, North Carolina
Use of a firearm during a crime of violence (federal)
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · Docket Federal five-count indictment June 2011 · 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Concurrent with life sentences
Hilton admitted to killing John Bryant within the Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, North Carolina using a firearm.
SourcesFBI: Gary Michael Hilton Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges; Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced To Four Life Sentences
Offense date Oct 21, 2007, North Carolina
Kidnapping (federal)
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · Docket Federal five-count indictment June 2011 · 18 U.S.C. § 1201 (federal kidnapping) · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Concurrent with life sentences
Hilton also pled guilty to robbery, kidnapping, and firearms offenses in connection with the October 2007 murders of the elderly victims. In June 2011, a federal grand jury returned a five-count criminal indictment charging Hilton, 65, with the October 2007 kidnapping, robbery, and murder of John and Irene Bryant on national forest lands.
SourcesFBI: Gary Michael Hilton Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges; Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced To Four Life Sentences
Offense date Oct 21, 2007, Transylvania County, North Carolina
Murder (federal)
U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina · Docket Federal grand jury indictment June 2011 · 18 U.S.C. § 1111 (federal murder on national forest lands) · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Four consecutive life sentences (two for murders, sentence April 25, 2013)
Hilton also admitted to killing John Bryant's spouse, Irene Bryant, within the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County, North Carolina.
SourcesFBI: Gary Michael Hilton Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges; FBI: Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced to Four Life Sentences; Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced To Four Life Sentences
Offense date Dec 01, 2007, Leon County, Florida
Kidnapping
Leon County Circuit Court, Florida · Leon County Circuit Court · Docket Case F72008604 · Florida kidnapping statute · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Concurrent with death sentence
On February 15, 2011, contrary to his pleas, a Leon county jury found Hilton guilty of one count of first degree murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of grand theft.
SourcesHILTON v. STATE (2013)
Offense date Dec 01, 2007, Leon County, Florida
First-degree murder
Leon County Circuit Court, Florida · Leon County Circuit Court · Docket Case F72008604 · Florida first-degree murder statute · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death penalty (pronounced April 21, 2011)
Cheryl Dunlap disappeared from Leon Sinks on a Saturday afternoon in December 2007. Her car was found abandoned on the side of the road soon after she was reported missing, and a hunter found her body dismembered in the Apalachicola National Forest about two weeks later. The court followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Hilton to death.
SourcesHILTON v. STATE (2013); Serial killer Gary Michael Hilton's death sentence upheld; Radford University Serial Killer Biography: Hilton, Gary Michael
Offense date Jan 01, 2008, Dawson County, Georgia
Kidnapping with intent to harm
Dawson County Superior Court, Georgia · Dawson County Superior Court · Docket Specially called grand jury session · Georgia kidnapping statute · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Concurrent with murder sentence
Meredith bravely tried to fight off Hilton and was subjected to three days of terror as Hilton kept her alive to extract PINs to withdraw cash from ATMs.
SourcesMurder of Meredith Emerson; Radford University Serial Killer Biography: Hilton, Gary Michael
Offense date Jan 04, 2008, Dawson County, Georgia
Murder
Dawson County Superior Court, Georgia · Dawson County Superior Court · Docket Specially called grand jury session · Georgia malice murder statute · Arrested Jan 05, 2008 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life in prison with parole eligibility in 30 years
Meredith Hope Emerson (June 20, 1983 – January 4, 2008) was a 24-year-old woman who was murdered in January 2008 by drifter Gary Michael Hilton. She was last seen alive hiking with her black Labrador Retriever on Blood Mountain in northern Georgia on New Year's Day 2008. Then he hit her in the head with a tire iron until she was dead. He cooperated with law enforcement in exchange for a life sentence.
SourcesMurder of Meredith Emerson; Hilton pleads guilty, gets life for killing hiker; Radford University Serial Killer Biography: Hilton, Gary Michael
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
4
Victims convicted
4
Victims confessed
2
Victims suspected
Active years
2005–2008
Stated motive
Financial gain, Sexual
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Divorced
Children
0
Military discharge
honorable
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
DE
Germany
approx. 1964 – 1967 · U.S. Army service; obtained GED; honorably discharged 1967 · army
FL
Hialeah, Florida
approx. 1958 – 1967 · Family moved to Hialeah, enrolled in Miami Springs Junior High
Miami, Florida
approx. 1959 – 1964 · Miami Springs Junior High, Hialeah High School
Miami, Florida
approx. 1970 – 1972 · Qualified for Florida chauffeur's license; worked as chauffeur/driver
Raiford, Florida
Apr 22, 2011 – present · Union Correctional Institution · Death row inmate; transferred to Florida State Prison/Union Correctional Institution
GA
Atlanta, Georgia
approx. 1946 – 1958 · Birthplace and early childhood residence
DeKalb, Georgia
approx. 1967 – 1980 · Married to various wives (Sue 1969-1971, Dina 1977-1978, Betty Sue 1979-1979)
Worth, Georgia
approx. 1997 – 2007 · Met John Tabor in 1997; lived with Tabor and worked selling siding for Insulated Wall Systems for approximately 10 years
DeKalb, Georgia
Jan 05, 2008 – Feb 2008 · Arrested at convenience store; held in Georgia custody pending hearings
Dawson, Georgia
approx. Feb 2008 – Jan 31, 2008 · Transferred to Dawson County for Georgia trial and sentencing
GE
Georgia
approx. 2005 – 2008 · Transient; living out of vehicle in national forests and camping areas
TX
Southern, Texas
approx. 1980 – 1997 · Transient lifestyle; no lasting attachments; moved throughout southern U.S. during 1970s and 1980s
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1995 unknown unknown unknown – White van; abandoned in Tray Mountain area of White County, Georgia in 2005
approx. 2005 – 2005
Referenced in Radford biography; investigated by Georgia Bureau of Investigation
2000 unknown Dodge Astro van – Van used for transient lifestyle during offense period; found at convenience store with evidence
approx. 2005 – 2008
Hilton was found cleaning out this van after Meredith Emerson's abduction; evidence recovered from vehicle
Timeline
Nov 22, 1946
Gary Michael Hilton, born on November 22, 1946, in Atlanta, Georgia.
1959
At age 13, Hilton shot his stepfather Nilo DeBag, who did not press charges.
1964
Hilton enlisted in U.S. Army.
1967
Honorably discharged from the army following a schizophrenic episode.
1970
Qualified for Florida chauffeur's license.
1997
Met John Tabor who gave him employment selling siding for Insulated Wall Systems.
Dec 07, 2005
Rossana Miliani, 26, is last seen in Bryson City. She told her family she was going hiking.
Sep 26, 2007
John Tabor filed complaint that Hilton threatened to kill him if not paid $10,000 (Duluth, Gwinnett County, Georgia).
Oct 21, 2007
Hilton murders Irene Bryant and abducts John Bryant in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina.
Nov 09, 2007
Body of Irene Bryant discovered.
Nov 21, 2007
Michael Scot Louis reported missing.
Dec 01, 2007
Cheryl Dunlap abducted from Leon Sinks, Florida.
Dec 06, 2007
Michael Scot Louis' body found in 3 different garbage bags at Tomoka State Park in Florida.
Dec 14, 2007
Dunlap's body was found by Greg and Wyatt in Apalachicola National Forest in Florida.
Jan 01, 2008
Hilton abducted Meredith Emerson on Blood Mountain, Georgia.
Jan 04, 2008
Hilton murdered Emerson.
Jan 05, 2008
Date apprehended: January 5, 2008 after being found cleaning his van at a convenience store.
Jan 07, 2008
Emerson's body is found.
Jan 30, 2008
On January 30, 2008, Gary Hilton entered a plea of guilty to the murder of Emerson.
Jan 31, 2008
Gary Michael Hilton was sentenced today to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to murder in the beating-death of a young woman hiker in the north Georgia mountains.
Feb 02, 2008
John Bryant's body found in Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina.
Feb 29, 2008
Hilton indicted in Florida for Cheryl Dunlap murder.
Apr 08, 2008
Hilton confesses to killing Emerson.
Jun 06, 2008
Hilton extradited to Florida for Dunlap murder.
Feb 15, 2011
A Florida jury convicts Hilton of murdering Cheryl Dunlap.
Apr 21, 2011
Judge agreed with jury recommendation and sentenced Hilton to death for Cheryl Dunlap murder.
Apr 22, 2011
Hilton placed into death row at the Florida State Prison.
Jun 21, 2011
Federal grand jury indicts Hilton for John and Irene Bryant murders.
Mar 27, 2012
Gary Michael Hilton entered a guilty plea today in U.S. District Court for the murders of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant.
Apr 25, 2013
Gary Michael Hilton was sentenced to four life sentences today in U.S. District Court for the kidnapping and murder of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant and to 15 years in prison for a related robbery offense.
Aug 26, 2021
Florida Supreme Court upholds Hilton's death sentence for Cheryl Dunlap murder.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Court record · Justia/U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit ·
Gary Michael Hilton v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections“Habeas Corpus: Death Penalty case filed on January 16, 2025 showing ongoing appeals.”
News report · WCTV ·
Serial killer Gary Michael Hilton's death sentence upheld“Florida Department of Corrections records show Hilton, 74, has been on Florida's death row since April 2011.”
Law enforcement release · U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of North Carolina ·
Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced To Four Life Sentences“Gary Michael Hilton was sentenced to four life sentences today in U.S. District Court for the kidnapping and murder of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant.”
Law enforcement release · Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of North Carolina ·
FBI: Gary Michael Hilton Sentenced to Four Life Sentences“Gary Michael Hilton was sentenced to four life sentences today in U.S. District Court for the kidnapping and murder of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant and to 15 years in prison for a related robbery offense.”
Court record · FindLaw/Florida Supreme Court ·
HILTON v. STATE (2013)“On February 28, 2008, a Leon County grand jury indicted Gary Michael Hilton for the first-degree murder of Cheryl Dunlap between December 1 and December 15, 2007, kidnapping, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and grand theft of currency.”
Law enforcement release · Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of North Carolina ·
FBI: Gary Michael Hilton Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges“Gary Michael Hilton entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for the murders of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University Serial Killer Biography: Hilton, Gary Michael“Gary Michael Hilton biographical and criminal history timeline compiled from public records.”
News report · CNN ·
Hilton pleads guilty, gets life for killing hiker“Gary Michael Hilton pleaded guilty Thursday to killing hiker Meredith Emerson, and was sentenced to life in prison.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Murder of Meredith Emerson“On January 30, 2008, Gary Hilton entered a plea of guilty to the murder of Emerson. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole in 30 years.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Gary Hilton“Gary Michael Hilton (born November 22, 1946), known as The National Forest Serial Killer, is an American serial killer responsible for four known homicides between 2007 and 2008 committed in three states.”
News report · Atlanta Journal-Constitution ·
Gary Hilton Timeline“Dec. 7, 2005: Rossana Miliani, 26, is last seen in Bryson City. She told her family she was going hiking.”
Discussion
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