A real life monster, Gary Michael HiltonA FIGHT FOR HER LIFE--MEREDITH EMERSON
Gary Michael Hilton acknowledged that Meredith Emerson nearly overpowered him when he first accosted her. As they struggled near the Appalachian Trail, Meredith disarmed Hilton of his knife and baton. Emerson fought back using her incredible strength, wits and a large measure of courage and determination.
In her four days of hell on Blood Mountain, she never once gave up fighting Hilton and never made it easy for him. At only 5'4" and 120 pounds, she had judo training and was stated by Hilton as "almost whipping his ass."
Both were with their dogs when they met near the Appalachian Trail in Union County on New Year's Day. For a time they walked together, but, as Hilton later admitted, he couldn't keep up with her and fell behind. He intercepted her on her way down, producing a military-style knife and demanding her ATM card.
"The bayonet is probably still up there...I lost control, and...she fought. And as I read in the paper, she's a martial artist." Emerson, who held a green belt and a blue belt in two different martial arts, grabbed the blade. Hilton then countered with his baton. She grabbed it, too. They stepped off the trail and fell down a slope, leaving the weapons behind."I had to hand-fight her," Hilton said. "She wouldn't stop. She wouldn't stop fighting," he said. "And yelling at the same time. ... So I needed to both control her and silence her."
He kept punching her, so hard it left both her eyes black and may have fractured her nose. Hilton said his hand was broken by the blows. He figured she had worn down, and they moved farther off the trail. Then Emerson started fighting again. He finally got her to stop by telling her all he wanted was her credit card and PIN. He then restrained her hands with a zip tie. Hilton then placed Meredith and her dog, Ella, in his van and secured her with a padlocked chain.
In the following hours and days, Emerson kept Hilton off-balance by repeatedly giving him the wrong PIN for her ATM card but assuring each time that this time the numbers were correct.She bought time with that ploy. For three days.
To keep her from running away, he usually kept a chain or nylon rope around her neck and she was often tethered to a tree or inside the van. When they slept, Emerson was tied to him so he would know if she tried to escape.Hilton claimed he tried to make Emerson comfortable, at one point saying he gave her the warmer sleeping bag because temperatures had dropped to 4 degrees. He offered her aspirin for a lingering headache that followed their fight the first day.
"I was solicitous of her ... comfort and everything else," said Hilton, seemingly oblivious to the contradiction.
Perhaps one of the most chilling details followed, as Hilton nonchalantly told Bridges, he raped Emerson that first night. He was angry she'd made him drive around from bank to bank and still had nothing to show for it.
Their second day together, Hilton set up camp in Dawson Forest, where they hiked for several hours. He insisted she was free, but he also said he told her he would shoot her and anyone around if she tried to get away.
Hilton knew he was a wanted man, and told Emerson "she was going home." "I said, 'I'm giving you all your stuff back.' I had all her stuff bagged up together. I made a point of showing her. They drove to the spot where he would kill her. On the way, they passed a law-enforcement officer. "I waved at him," Hilton said. "It was that close."
"I walked her into the woods," Hilton said. He carried two sleeping bags, an air mattress "for her to sit on," two bags and a chain. He continued to state that he, "secured her to a tree. Walked back to the van. Kinda got myself together. Made some coffee."
Hilton told investigators he abducted her because she was a woman. Easy prey, he figured.
In her four days of hell on Blood Mountain, she never once gave up fighting Hilton and never made it easy for him. At only 5'4" and 120 pounds, she had judo training and was stated by Hilton as "almost whipping his ass."
'Wouldn't stop fighting'
Both were with their dogs when they met near the Appalachian Trail in Union County on New Year's Day. For a time they walked together, but, as Hilton later admitted, he couldn't keep up with her and fell behind. He intercepted her on her way down, producing a military-style knife and demanding her ATM card.
Without pause, Emerson fought back.
"The bayonet is probably still up there...I lost control, and...she fought. And as I read in the paper, she's a martial artist." Emerson, who held a green belt and a blue belt in two different martial arts, grabbed the blade. Hilton then countered with his baton. She grabbed it, too. They stepped off the trail and fell down a slope, leaving the weapons behind."I had to hand-fight her," Hilton said. "She wouldn't stop. She wouldn't stop fighting," he said. "And yelling at the same time. ... So I needed to both control her and silence her."
He kept punching her, so hard it left both her eyes black and may have fractured her nose. Hilton said his hand was broken by the blows. He figured she had worn down, and they moved farther off the trail. Then Emerson started fighting again. He finally got her to stop by telling her all he wanted was her credit card and PIN. He then restrained her hands with a zip tie. Hilton then placed Meredith and her dog, Ella, in his van and secured her with a padlocked chain.
In the following hours and days, Emerson kept Hilton off-balance by repeatedly giving him the wrong PIN for her ATM card but assuring each time that this time the numbers were correct.She bought time with that ploy. For three days.
To keep her from running away, he usually kept a chain or nylon rope around her neck and she was often tethered to a tree or inside the van. When they slept, Emerson was tied to him so he would know if she tried to escape.Hilton claimed he tried to make Emerson comfortable, at one point saying he gave her the warmer sleeping bag because temperatures had dropped to 4 degrees. He offered her aspirin for a lingering headache that followed their fight the first day.
"I was solicitous of her ... comfort and everything else," said Hilton, seemingly oblivious to the contradiction.
Perhaps one of the most chilling details followed, as Hilton nonchalantly told Bridges, he raped Emerson that first night. He was angry she'd made him drive around from bank to bank and still had nothing to show for it.
Their second day together, Hilton set up camp in Dawson Forest, where they hiked for several hours. He insisted she was free, but he also said he told her he would shoot her and anyone around if she tried to get away.
Hilton knew he was a wanted man, and told Emerson "she was going home." "I said, 'I'm giving you all your stuff back.' I had all her stuff bagged up together. I made a point of showing her. They drove to the spot where he would kill her. On the way, they passed a law-enforcement officer. "I waved at him," Hilton said. "It was that close."
"I walked her into the woods," Hilton said. He carried two sleeping bags, an air mattress "for her to sit on," two bags and a chain. He continued to state that he, "secured her to a tree. Walked back to the van. Kinda got myself together. Made some coffee."
Hilton told investigators he abducted her because she was a woman. Easy prey, he figured.
The Kill
When he came back to her, Hilton said with a little laugh, Emerson told him, " 'I was afraid you weren't coming back.' "He gave her a book to read, "Cannibals and Kings: Origins of Cultures" by Marvin Harris. Then he walked behind her as if he were going to remove the chains holding her to the tree and hit her several times with the handle from a tire jack then he decapitated Emerson in a vain effort to destroy evidence that might incriminate him.
Hilton was worried about another piece of evidence that might link him to the slaying — Emerson's dog. She had told him the Lab-mix carried a microchip identifying it as her pet. "If I wanted to ensure that no one would associate the dog with her, I would've killed the dog," Hilton said. "But there's no way I could do that."
However, he had no such reservations about killing Meredith.
Could Kill a Human, But Never a Dog
Hilton was worried about another piece of evidence that might link him to the slaying — Emerson's dog. She had told him the Lab-mix carried a microchip identifying it as her pet. "If I wanted to ensure that no one would associate the dog with her, I would've killed the dog," Hilton said. "But there's no way I could do that."
However, he had no such reservations about killing Meredith.
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