260:. This is because Hilton had left one of his victims in a similar condition near where Smith's body was discovered. In 2011, Hilton was tried for Dunlap's murder and was sentenced to death. In 2012, Hilton pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of the Bryants, for which he was sentenced to life in prison.
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Judge Daniel
Coursey issued a temporary order restraining the GBI from releasing "any and all photographs, visual images or depictions of Meredith Emerson which show Emerson in an unclothed or dismembered state." This order came on the same date that the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee
238:
off the table and rehome Hilton's own dog, Dandy, if Hilton would lead investigators to her body. Hilton agreed and successfully led investigators to
Emerson's body. Hilton claimed he had asked Emerson for her debit card PIN and that when she failed to give him the correct number, he kept her for
247:
On
January 30, 2008, Gary Hilton pleaded guilty to the murder of Emerson. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole in 30 years. Hilton was later linked to and then charged with three additional murders: the October 2007 murders of elderly couple John and Irene Bryant in
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police and stated that "the guy you are looking for is cleaning out his van." The police quickly arrived on scene and were able to stop Hilton before he could bleach the interior of the van. Crime scene analysts obtained blood evidence that was matched to
Emerson's
106:
309:," Chambers stated. "Meredith isn't in a position to give that kind of permission to have her exploited in that kind of venue...we're not only protecting future victims of crime, we're protecting the integrity of what happened to Meredith."
472:... a community struggling to come to grips with the apparently random attack on the hiker, Meredith Emerson, 24, of Buford, who disappeared near Blood Mountain on New Year's Day with her dog, a black Labrador retriever mix named Ella.
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response was through an email that said, "Hustler is aware of the GBI's refusal to honor its reporter's request for copies of the
Emerson crime scenes photos, which were to be used in a news story about this crime. Hustler and
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four days before killing her with a tire iron. Hilton stated he could not bring himself to kill her dog and that when it came to the woman herself, "It was hard ... you gotta remember we had spent several good days together."
305:"We have to walk the line between open record laws and the constitutional provisions that allow women to be able to be photographed nude or in pornography when they knowingly and willingly offer their bodies for
302:. House Bill 1322 stops the dissemination of images of victims who in the photos appear "nude, bruised, bloodied or in a broken state with open wounds, a state of dismemberment or decapitation."
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with the Byron
Herbert Reece Parking Lot. When she did not return home on January 2, 2008, her friends began to search for her, without success. Her dog, Ella, was found on January 4, 2008, in
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Emerson, who grew up in Holly
Springs before her family moved, died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia's chief medical examiner.
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Emerson, a Buford resident and
University of Georgia graduate, disappeared on New Year's Day while hiking near Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
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unanimously passed "The
Meredith Emerson Memorial Privacy Act", which prevents crime scene photos from being publicly released or disseminated, according to Rep.
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disagree with the GBI's position, and are currently exploring all legal options available to them should the decision be made to go forward with the story."
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Born in
Charleston, S.C., Meredith Emerson spent most of her formative years in Raleigh, where Peggy Bailey was one of her seventh-grade teachers.
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293:(GBI). The victim's family requested that the request must be denied according to attorney Lindsay Haigh. In March 2010, DeKalb
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and she was safely returned to Emerson's family. The next day, more of Emerson's belongings would be found in a dumpster near a
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215:. Hilton was subsequently arrested and charged with Emerson's murder. The same day, Ella was found alive wandering in a
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asked for the Meredith Emerson crime scene and autopsy photos as part of an open records request filed with the
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on New Year's Day 2008. Witnesses claimed to have seen her with an older man on the Spur Trail connecting the
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116:(June 20, 1983 – January 4, 2008) was a 24-year-old woman who was murdered in January 2008 by drifter
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results for Emerson indicated she was killed on January 4, 2008, by blunt force trauma to the head.
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with a bachelor's degree in French and was given the Cecil Willcox Award for Excellence in French.
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Emerson, who graduated with honors in 2005, majored in French and spent time studying in France.
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627:"New UGA study-abroad fund to honoe slain alumna and French honor student Meredith Emerson"
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Emerson, formerly of Longmont, Colo., recently moved to Buford, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta.
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823:"Georgia judge bars release of photos of hiker's nude, decapitated body - CNN.com"
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Emerson was recipient of the Cecil Willcox Award for Excellence in French in 2005.
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Meredith Emerson once lived in Longmont and was a graduate of Niwot High School.
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On January 4, three days after Emerson and Ella were last seen, a witness at a
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256:. It has been speculated that Hilton might also be responsible for the 1997
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elsewhere in the city: her bloodied clothing, wallet, driver's license, a
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199:, became and was announced as a person of interest in her disappearance.
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252:, and the December 2007 murder of 46-year-old nurse Cheryl Dunlap in
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The view from Blood Mountain where Meredith Emerson went hiking
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591:"Fundraiser honors life of slain hiker Meredith Emerson"
389:"Fundraiser honors life of slain hiker Meredith Emerson"
187:
On January 3, 2008, authorities located Emerson's 1995
555:"Slain Hiker's Mom To Drifter: Stay Alive, Slowly Rot"
739:"Hilton made plans for dog as part of plea agreement"
450:"Killing of a Young Hiker Puts North Georgia on Edge"
520:"Missing Georgia Hiker Beaten to Death, Decapitated"
143:At the time of her disappearance, Emerson lived in
88:
80:
61:
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765:"Hunter finds murderer's supplies in Ga. forest"
120:. She was last seen alive hiking with her black
698:"Missing Ga. hiker believed dead; suspect held"
175:. In 2005, she graduated with honors from the
353:"Gallery, Meredith Emerson, Photo 3, ajc.com"
8:
914:Missing person cases in Georgia (U.S. state)
140:, approximately 60 miles (97 km) away.
793:"Gary Michael Hilton gets 4 life sentences"
231:ID card, and a bloodstained car seat belt.
29:
949:History of women in Georgia (U.S. state)
909:January 2008 crimes in the United States
719:"Connection sought in slain hiker cases"
677:"Man sought for questioning about hiker"
625:Philip Lee Williams (January 25, 2008).
934:People murdered in Georgia (U.S. state)
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924:People from Charleston, South Carolina
894:Deaths by beating in the United States
532:from the original on November 29, 2014
462:from the original on November 17, 2012
347:
345:
7:
929:People from Gwinnett County, Georgia
717:McWilliams, Mike (January 8, 2008).
27:2008 crime in Georgia, United States
803:from the original on 12 August 2014
448:Brenda Goodman (January 14, 2008).
330:List of solved missing person cases
234:The prosecution agreed to take the
563:. February 1, 2008. Archived from
25:
879:2008 murders in the United States
833:from the original on 29 June 2020
777:. September 18, 2009 – via
675:Chidi, George (January 4, 2008).
490:"Missing Ga. hiker believed dead"
682:The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
661:The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
589:Debbie Gilbert (June 24, 2008).
387:Debbie Gilbert (June 24, 2008).
696:Yee, Daniel (January 6, 2008).
654:Eberly, Tim (January 5, 2008).
291:Georgia Bureau of Investigation
1:
275:Crime scene photo controversy
161:Holly Springs, North Carolina
939:University of Georgia alumni
874:2008 in Georgia (U.S. state)
919:People from Buford, Georgia
424:"Meredith Emerson articles"
965:
864:2000s missing person cases
488:Writer (January 5, 2008).
157:Charleston, South Carolina
54:Charleston, South Carolina
944:Victims of serial killers
171:. Emerson graduated from
799:. The Associated Press.
904:Formerly missing people
884:American murder victims
724:Asheville Citizen-Times
703:Asheville Citizen-Times
889:Dawson County, Georgia
656:"LINKS TO HIKER FOUND"
279:On February 25, 2010,
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73:Dawson County, Georgia
899:Female murder victims
596:The Gainesville Times
394:The Gainesville Times
229:University of Georgia
177:University of Georgia
114:Meredith Hope Emerson
108:
93:University of Georgia
34:Meredith Hope Emerson
770:Tallahassee Democrat
603:on November 24, 2014
560:thedenverchannel.com
401:on November 24, 2014
258:murder of Judy Smith
159:. She was raised in
155:Emerson was born in
745:. February 13, 2008
528:. January 8, 2008.
206:gas station called
197:Gary Michael Hilton
118:Gary Michael Hilton
455:The New York Times
285:magazine reporter
195:, 61-year-old man
189:Chevrolet Cavalier
169:Longmont, Colorado
122:Labrador retriever
111:
567:on April 28, 2015
365:on March 26, 2015
173:Niwot High School
134:Appalachian Trail
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16:(Redirected from
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138:Cumming, Georgia
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18:Meredith Emerson
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163:, a suburb of
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300:Jill Chambers
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193:serial killer
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183:Investigation
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50:June 20, 1983
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835:. Retrieved
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747:. Retrieved
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727:. p. 1.
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706:. p. 2.
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636:November 24,
634:. Retrieved
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607:November 24,
605:. Retrieved
601:the original
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571:November 24,
569:. Retrieved
565:the original
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536:November 24,
534:. Retrieved
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501:November 24,
499:. Retrieved
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484:Daniel Yee,
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466:November 24,
464:. Retrieved
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432:. Retrieved
428:the original
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405:November 24,
403:. Retrieved
399:the original
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369:November 24,
367:. Retrieved
363:the original
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128:in northern
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67:(2008-01-04)
869:2008 deaths
859:1983 births
827:www.cnn.com
81:Nationality
853:Categories
743:AccessWDUN
434:2010-03-12
336:References
287:Fred Rosen
243:Conviction
46:1983-06-20
807:10 August
631:UGA Today
495:USA Today
318:Mr. Flynt
313:Hustler's
167:, and in
151:Biography
831:Archived
801:Archived
749:July 15,
530:Archived
460:Archived
324:See also
225:QuikTrip
84:American
837:26 June
797:ajc.com
525:WRAL-TV
358:ajc.com
282:Hustler
269:Autopsy
254:Florida
221:Cumming
204:Chevron
165:Raleigh
130:Georgia
217:Kroger
208:DeKalb
75:, U.S.
56:, U.S.
839:2020
809:2014
751:2024
638:2014
609:2014
573:2014
538:2014
503:2014
468:2014
407:2014
371:2014
97:B.A.
62:Died
40:Born
213:DNA
124:on
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