Using pings from a nearby cell-phone tower, authorities were able to locate the approximate location of the first stabbing and the tactical team of the Wythe County Sheriffs Office then began the four-mile hike to the crime scene. Crews, a manic-depressive and frequent drug user, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is currently serving two life sentences without the chance of parole. Suspect in Appalachian Trail slaying found unfit to stand trial Insanity defense planned in Appalachian Trail murder case - WSLS Instead, he walked a few feet farther until he was standing outside the Jeep just behind Farmer's left shoulder. Then Ralph announced he in fact would not let Margaret go as he had planned when they reached the road., the Georgia route 75. According to Brian King, publisher for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, there have been 10 murders in eight incidents on the trail since the first murder was recorded in 1974. click here. They did but didnt focus on it as they were in a hurry. One morning she ventured off the trail in the 100-mile wilderness area for a pit stop and lost her way back. In 1996, fifteen years into his sentence, he was released on mandatory parole for good behavior, which outraged the families of the victims. He had returned to the United States with PTSD as well as combat-related injuries, according to his former wife, Elizabeth Sanchez. He went by the trail name Stonewall, most likely a reference to Thomas Stonewall Jackson, a commander in the Confederate Army in the Civil War. Appalachian Trail, 2011. Many different people from all walks of life populate the trail and occasionally interact with each other. Her body was found on Thanksgiving Day with multiple stab wounds. All Votes Add Books To This List. Police tricked him into identifying himself via signature, by claiming the bug bites on him were serious and that he required medical attention. He didnt like to talk about it. While out on parole he broke into Anns apartment and lay in wait for her. He was eventually tracked down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Jury under Circuit Judge Martin E. Clements declared him guilty. Although millions have hiked part of the trail, and many thousands have done the thru-hike from end to end, there have the unfortunate few who have succumbed to foul play at the hands of deranged killers.