Man suspected in grisly slayings of teens, stepfather
Anne Warfield
Man suspected in grisly slayings of teens, stepfather
Items compiled from Tribune news services
Published October 20, 2002
JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE -- The mutilated bodies of two teenagers were
found rotting in a storage unit, hours before an elderly man's
headless body turned up 200 miles away, and police suspected the man's
stepson in both cases.
Howard Hawk Willis, 51, who is in custody awaiting sentencing in a
cocaine case, has not been charged in the deaths. His mother, Emma
Elizabeth Hawk, 70, was charged with helping dispose of the teens'
corpses.
Police said Friday that Willis was involved in a cocaine-for-sex
scheme with the two younger victims. The pair were believed to be
newlyweds Adam Ray Chrismer, 17, and Samantha Foster Leming, 16, who
have been missing since Oct. 11.
Investigators suspect the teens learned something about the death of
Willis' 73-year-old stepfather, Samuel Thomas, before they were
killed.
A head and hands believed to be Chrismer's were discovered in a nearby
lake a few days earlier. More remains were found Thursday in the
Johnson City storage unit, along with a hatchet and other items,
prosecutor Joe Crumley said.
Hours later, police in Georgia found the body tentatively identified
as Thomas. Tennessee authorities said an informant helped police find
the bodies.
Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0210200248oct20,0,3028346.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsnationworld%2Dhed
--
Anne Warfield
indigoace at goodsol period com
http://www.goodsol.com/cats/
Mark Fenster
> Does anyone know more about this one? From the Chicago Tribune--
>
> Man suspected in grisly slayings of teens, stepfather
>
> Items compiled from Tribune news services
> Published October 20, 2002
>
> JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE -- The mutilated bodies of two teenagers were
> found rotting in a storage unit, hours before an elderly man's
> headless body turned up 200 miles away, and police suspected the man's
> stepson in both cases.
>
> Howard Hawk Willis, 51, who is in custody awaiting sentencing in a
> cocaine case, has not been charged in the deaths. His mother, Emma
> Elizabeth Hawk, 70, was charged with helping dispose of the teens'
> corpses.
Anne,
Some additional information from Chattanooga TN sources...
Fenster
Picture of one of the murder victims, Sam Thomas, at:
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_27949.asp
**********************************************
Headless Body Of Murder Victim Sam Thomas Found On Lookout Mountain
Mother, Aunt Of Willis Arrested In Washington County
posted October 18, 2002
A headless body that authorities said belonged to missing Bradley
County man Sam Thomas was found in a remote area of Lookout Mountain
Thursday night.
Thomas, who has been missing for several weeks, is the stepfather of
Howard Hawk Willis, who is also a suspect in the grisly murders of a
young Walker County couple as well as his wife 14 years ago.
And authorities in Washington County, where the bodies of Adam and
Samantha Chrismer were found, arrested the elderly mother and aunt of
Willis.
Emma Elizabeth Hawk, 70, was charged with accessory after the fact of
first-degree murder, attempting to tamper with evidence and two counts
of abuse of a corpse. Marie Hawk Holmes, 74, was charged with
attempting to tamper with evidence.
A Walker County deputy located the body of the 73-year-old Thomas
Thursday evening on property of the stepfather of Adam Chrismer two
miles south of the Tauqueta Falls resort community near the Dade
County, Ga., line.
Willis is in custody at Jonesborough, Tn., but has not been charged in
any of the slayings. He is being held for violation of parole on
earlier charges of transporting drugs.
The two Johnson City women were arrested after authorities found body
parts at a storage unit in downtown Johnson City. Officials said body
parts of 17-year-old Adam Chrismer and his 16-year-old wife, Samantha
Leming Chrismer, were in large plastic containers inside.
Officials said Thomas had been shot, and his arms had been severed
from the elbow down. A search was on for other parts of the body.
According to court affidavits, the 51-year-old Willis told his former
wife, Wilda Willis, that the bodies of the couple were located in
storage unit X-47 at 24-Hour Self Storage on Buffalo Street in Johnson
City. The ex-wife taped the conversation, and affidavits said the
mother and aunt both told her several times to destroy the tape.
The affidavit says Emma Hawk rented the storage unit along with her
son on Oct. 10. That is the day before the head of Adam Chrismer was
found in a nearby lake by fishermen. Authorities also found hands in
the lake that were first thought to belong to the wife of Adam
Chrismer, but now are believed to be his hands.
The affidavit says Emma Hawk told an employee of the storage place
that her son would be "placing some items in the unit."
The affidavit says, "Further investigation revealed that Howard Hawk
Willis, with the knowledge of the defendant (Emma Hawk), did place the
mutilated bodies of Adam Ray Chrismer and Samantha Foster Chrismer in
the storage unit X-47."
The two women appeared in a Johnson City courtroom Thursday and are
due back in General Sessions Court on Monday afternoon.
Emma Hawk is under $75,000 bond and her sister, a $30,000 bond.
The two women live near one another off Baxter Street in Johnson City.
A Washington County Grand Jury is to be convened to hear evidence in
the cases on Wednesday. Authorities said it is unusual that a charge
of accessory to murder would be brought without anyone being yet
charged with murder.
Washington County authorities said a hatchet, a pair of large scissors
and a hammer may have been used to kill and mutilate the Chrismers at
a Johnson City residence last week.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips said the bodies of the teens
were in a very bad state of decomposition. He said the bodies were in
plastic containers about four feet long and two feet deep.
Sheriff Phillips said it appeared Adam Chrismer had a gunshot wound to
the head.
Sheriff Phillips called it "one of the most brutal murders that I have
been involved in" in a 30-year career.
Police believe the young couple traveled from Walker County to Johnson
City with Willis on Oct. 4 after they had dinner with Leming's mother.
Chrismer last talked to his mother Oct. 6 from Johnson City, saying he
wanted to come home.
Anne Warfield
Fenster) wrote:
>indi...@aolxxx.com (Anne Warfield) wrote in message news:<3db36965...@news.earthlink.net>...
>> Does anyone know more about this one? From the Chicago Tribune--
>>
>> Man suspected in grisly slayings of teens, stepfather
>>
>> Items compiled from Tribune news services
>> Published October 20, 2002
>>
>> JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE -- The mutilated bodies of two teenagers were
>> found rotting in a storage unit, hours before an elderly man's
>> headless body turned up 200 miles away, and police suspected the man's
>> stepson in both cases.
>>
>> Howard Hawk Willis, 51, who is in custody awaiting sentencing in a
>> cocaine case, has not been charged in the deaths. His mother, Emma
>> Elizabeth Hawk, 70, was charged with helping dispose of the teens'
>> corpses.
>
>Anne,
>
>Some additional information from Chattanooga TN sources...
>
>Fenster
>
>Picture of one of the murder victims, Sam Thomas, at:
>
>http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_27949.asp
>
>**********************************************
>
>Headless Body Of Murder Victim Sam Thomas Found On Lookout Mountain
>Mother, Aunt Of Willis Arrested In Washington County
>
>posted October 18, 2002
Many thanks, Mark! What a horrible case. Why would he do this? Why
would his mother and aunt help him?
If you see anything new, please post it and I will do the same.
Thanks!
Mark Fenster
> On 21 Oct 2002 02:14:35 -0700, Fenster_2...@hotmail.com (Mark
> Fenster) wrote:
>
> >indi...@aolxxx.com (Anne Warfield) wrote in message news:<3db36965...@news.earthlink.net>...
> >> Does anyone know more about this one? From the Chicago Tribune--
>
> Thanks!
Anne,
No, I found nothing new on the case. The last paragraph of the post
below gives some speculative reason regarding a possible motive Howard
Hawk Willis to kill the teenage couple. Unfortunately, the post below
did not come from a high quality source. Regrettably, The Chattanooga
Times Free Press (presumably a higher quality source than the post
below) is a paid site!
I have no idea why has mother and aunt would help Howard Hawk Willis
attempt to cover up the murders. I’m very surprised that they
were both charged in the case before Willis.
Fenster
******************************************
Investigators in multiple-slaying case take break
JOHNSON CITY -- Investigators in the case of a Georgia couple who
were slain and dismembered stood down for a rest Saturday after a
week-long investigation that began Oct. 12 with the discovery of a
human head in Boone Lake.
by Staff and wire reports
Oct 20, 2002
JOHNSON CITY -- Investigators in the case of a Georgia couple who
were slain and dismembered took a rest Saturday while Georgia
authorities continued to search for parts of an elderly man's body
whose killing was believed linked to the couple's deaths.
Washington County sheriff's Sgt. Keith Sexton said investigators
stood down for a rest Saturday after a week-long investigation that
began Oct. 12 with the discovery of a human head in Boone Lake.
The head and a pair of hands also found in the lake later were
tentatively identified by authorities as those of 17-year old Adam
Chrismer of Walker County, Ga.
Then, on Thursday, authorities recovered the rest of Chrismer's
body and the body of his 16-year-old wife, Samantha Chrismer, in
Rubbermaid-like bins in a self-storage unit. Authorities said they
also found a hatchet, a large pair of shears, a hammer and two cans of
what appeared to be a gasoline-diesel fuel mix.
Howard Hawk Willis, 51, was being held in the Washington County
jail in Jonesborough on an unrelated federal bond violation charge
after pleading guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to distribute
cocaine.
His latest arrest came after he allegedly used credit cards
belonging to his missing stepfather, 73-year-old Samuel Thomas of
Bradley County, Tenn. Georgia authorities found a dismembered corpse
believed to be his on Thursday.
A Walker County, Ga., sheriff's spokesman said Saturday that the
department still was searching for body parts. The skeletal remains
found Thursday were missing the head and arms. The body was found at
an abandoned home in the Lookout Mountain area near the Tennessee
line.
It was believed the man was killed across the state line in
Bradley County. The sheriff there, Daniel Gilley, said Friday that "at
the appropriate time with more conclusive information" he expects to
file charges against the person or people believed to be responsible.
Meanwhile, authorities here have said they will seek indictments
against Willis in the Chrismers' killings when a special grand jury
convenes Wednesday. Willis' 71-year-old mother already has been
charged with helping dispose of the couple's corpses.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips said on Friday that
investigators were looking at the possibility that Willis was
supplying drugs to the Chrismers in return for sex with Samantha
Chrismer.
Phillips has said the Chrismers may have been killed to eliminate
them as witnesses to the stepfather's slaying 200 miles away.
Anne Warfield
Fenster) wrote:
>indi...@aolxxx.com (Anne Warfield) wrote in message news:<3db464d1...@news.earthlink.net>...
>> On 21 Oct 2002 02:14:35 -0700, Fenster_2...@hotmail.com (Mark
>> Fenster) wrote:
>>
>> >indi...@aolxxx.com (Anne Warfield) wrote in message news:<3db36965...@news.earthlink.net>...
>> >> Does anyone know more about this one? From the Chicago Tribune--
>>
>> If you see anything new, please post it and I will do the same.
>> Thanks!
>
>
>Anne,
>
>
>No, I found nothing new on the case. The last paragraph of the post
>below gives some speculative reason regarding a possible motive Howard
>Hawk Willis to kill the teenage couple. Unfortunately, the post below
>did not come from a high quality source. Regrettably, The Chattanooga
>Times Free Press (presumably a higher quality source than the post
>below) is a paid site!
I browsed the Chattanooga Free Press site just long enough to see that
even the non-fancy version loaded slowly on my dial-up connection. I
scouted around and found three papers local to the area(s), but I
don't know if they'll have anything useful:
Johnson City, TN:
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/ (keeps asking me if I want to install
Flash, which I do not)
http://www.starhq.com/
Walker County, GA:
http://news.mywebpal.com/index.cfm?pnpid=730
(uses AP articles that show up with no paragraphing)
I noticed in my browsing that this is also local to the Tri-State
Crematory case.
I think the Chattanoogan.com site you used earlier is probably the
best overall source for now. It has a photogallery of the main
players at
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_27951.asp
BTW.
In browsing the photogallery above, I got another website:
http://www.timesnews.net/
PAYDIRT! I found a mess of articles that I will post as followups.
>I have no idea why has mother and aunt would help Howard Hawk Willis
>attempt to cover up the murders. I’m very surprised that they
>were both charged in the case before Willis.
>
>Fenster
My guess re: Willis not being charged is that it's because (a) Willis
is in custody already for something else and isn't going anywhere, and
(b) sorting out the jurisdictions involved may take awhile--they think
the murder of the stepfather occured in Bradley County TN, his body
was dumped in Walker Co. GA,
Here's a chilling quote from Catoosa County sherriff Phil Summers,
who's been looking into the disappearance of Willis' wife in 1987: "It
looks like the people Willis associates with often disappear." Brr.
Maybe mom & aunt didn't want to disappear.
Anne Warfield
Washington County sheriff says teenage murder victim may have been
pregnant with suspect’s child
JOHNSON CITY - Published reports that 16-year-old Samantha Leming may
have been pregnant with Howard Hawk Willis' child could not be
independently confirmed Monday, but Washington County Sheriff Fred
Phillips was quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Sunday
edition as saying that was a theory.
Phillips did not return calls to his office and home Monday, and
Washington County Sheriff's Office representatives said they could not
confirm his publicized statements.
Willis, 51, is being held in Jonesborough on federal drug charges and
is the primary suspect in the deaths of Lemming and Adam Chrismer, her
17-year-old husband.
"There is a strong possibility that Willis got her pregnant and then
made the young man marry her. We haven't got the autopsy report back
yet, but supposedly she was pregnant," Phillips was quoted as saying
in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Phillips told the newspaper the information was based on taped phone
conversations Willis had.
"We think that he killed the boy first, and then the girl went nuts
seeing it," Phillips said. "We think he might have kept her around for
another day...."
Phillips also said pornographic pictures featuring the young couple
were found at the home of Willis' mother in Johnson City.
Chrismer's head and hands were found in Boone Lake on Oct. 11.
Leming's body and the rest of Chrismer's body were found in a downtown
Johnson City mini-storage unit Thursday.
"What we're looking at is a very grisly murder. I think he chopped off
the head and hands with an ax because it wasn't clean cut. And the
skull, I think he beat with a hammer," Phillips told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution.
Willis has not been charged with the teens' murders. A special grand
jury will meet Wednesday to assess evidence and consider charges. He
is also a suspect in the death of his 73-year-old former stepfather,
whose headless and armless body was found in north Georgia Thursday.
"The scary part is I don't know where it's going to end," Phillips
told the Atlanta newspaper. "We have reason to believe there may be
more to come. He was a long haul truck driver."
http://www.timesnews.net/article1019.dna?StoryID=65393
Anne Warfield
Next phase in the saga of Georgia teenagers’ mutilation slaying is
special grand jury
By Matthew Lane
Staff writer Chelsea Shoun also contributed to this report.
JOHNSON CITY - Two elderly relatives of the man suspected of killing
two Georgia teenagers earlier this month will have a preliminary
hearing Monday, if they aren't indicted by a special grand jury set to
meet Wednesday.
Emma Elizabeth Hawk, 70, and Marie Hawk Holmes, 74, appeared in
general sessions court Monday. Holmes was free on bond, while Hawk is
still being held at the Washington County Detention Center.
That's where her son, Howard Hawk Willis, 51, is also being held on
federal drug charges.
Willis is the primary suspect in the slayings of Adam Chrismer, 17,
and Samantha Leming, 16. The newlyweds' mutilated bodies were found
Thursday in a mini-storage unit in downtown Johnson City. Chrismer's
head and hands were found floating in Boone Lake about a week before.
Hawk faces two counts of abuse of a corpse, being an accessory after
the fact to first-degree murder, and attempt to tamper with evidence,
the most serious charge.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips has said Hawk may have played
a part in the mutilation of the teens' bodies.
Her sister, Marie Holmes, also faces a charge of attempt to tamper
with evidence.
Court documents indicate the two women tried to get Willis' wife,
Wilda Willis, to destroy a recorded conversation where he revealed
where the teens' bodies were located.
If the two women are not indicted during a called grand jury session
Wednesday, they will appear in court again next Monday for a
preliminary hearing.
Grand jury members will determine if there is enough evidence to
indict not only Hawk and Holmes, but Howard Willis as well. He has not
yet been charged with murder.
"My hope is that we as a community can come together to focus on the
good, positive characteristics that permeate our local community,"
said Public Defender Ron Tuech, who is representing Holmes.
Hawk has said she plans to retain a Bristol attorney and was still
being held in lieu of a $50,000 property bond or $25,000 surety bond
Monday.
In other news related to the ongoing case, authorities are expected to
resume the search for the head and arms of Samuel Johnson Thomas
either Tuesday or Wednesday, said Walker County, Ga., Sheriff Steve
Wilson.
The headless and armless skeletal remains believed to be those of
Thomas - stepfather of Howard Willis - were also found Thursday behind
an abandoned trailer on Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Willis is also a suspect in the death of Thomas, 73, who has been
missing since Sept. 7.
Wilson said authorities suspended all search efforts over the weekend
and on Monday.
"Our plans are to resume them tomorrow or Wednesday," Wilson said
Monday. "We feel certain that we'll still concentrate on the Lookout
Mountain area where we were earlier last week, unless that changes or
we get a new tip."
The area authorities intend to search is between 40 and 50 acres,
Wilson said.
To date, Wilson said authorities have searched three different parcels
of land on Flairty Road at Lookout Mountain, including some abandoned
mobile homes and older buildings on some of the land.
Capt. Chip Bryant with the Bradley County, Tenn., Sheriff's
Department, said they have searched two homes on Thomas' property in
Bradley County, including his home and an abandoned home where Willis
grew up.
Bryant said his department intends to reopen the case of Willis'
former wife - Nancy Debra Willis - who was reported missing in
December 1986.
"At some point, some day in the future, we will search that area for
Debbie Willis. But it's not right now on our calendar," Bryant said.
Thomas' body was transported to Atlanta by the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation for autopsy.
Wilson said the results of the autopsy would not be known for several
weeks.
"It's still too early to get a report back from them. That usually
takes several weeks," Wilson said.
http://www.timesnews.net/article1019.dna?StoryID=65380
Anne Warfield
Teenagers’ mutilation slaying causes Scott County family to seek
closure in case of missing sister
By Kevin Castle
YUMA - The notebooks are filled with neat, painstakingly written
notes. Some of the pages are tear-stained. The tears are for Debbie.
The recent case surrounding Howard Hawk Willis, 51, in Washington
County, Tenn., has further opened wounds for a Scott County family who
longs to know the whereabouts of a devoted mother and sister.
The reason the wounds are still open is because Yuma native Nancy
Debra Willis has been missing since 1987, and Howard Willis is the
only known person who saw her before she disappeared.
Debra Willis was born and raised in Yuma, a community just outside
Weber City. She was a graduate of Gate City High School and was 27
years old at the time of her disappearance.
The notebooks contain daily journal entries made by Willis' sister,
Gertrude Lark, who has spent the past 15 years searching for an end to
what she calls "a daily nightmare.''
Debra married Howard Willis in August 1985. A year later at
Christmastime would be the last time her family in Yuma would see her.
Howard Willis is a suspect in the case of the mutilation death of two
Georgia teenagers whose remains were discovered last week in Johnson
City.
"I want to find my sister. I want to find her so we can put her
remains (to rest) and have some closure. Those years that my mother
was dying of Alzheimer's was so hard. She kept asking about Debbie,''
Lark said Monday in a tearful plea.
Stella Calton, an older sister of Debra Willis, filed the initial
missing persons report with the Bradley County, Tenn., Sheriff's
Department on March 25, 1987.
"We hadn't heard from Debbie since Christmas Day. When we would call
to talk to Debbie, it seemed like Howard always had an excuse of why
Debbie could not come to the phone,'' said Calton.
"He would say that she was sick or that she had gone to the store or
was in another room. Things just didn't sound right. And for the past
15 years, we have had to live with this," Calton said. "I think this
situation that has happened in Johnson City is an example of how
Howard affects lives. But we wanted answers years ago, and Howard
couldn't give us any. Maybe he can now.''
In police records from the Bradley County Sheriff's Department
provided to the Times-News by Lark, Howard Willis stated in an
interview in March 1987 with Detective Anthony Benefield that Debra
Willis "wanted to get away for a while'' and upon her request Willis
took her to a bus station in Chattanooga on March 11, 1987.
Willis also said that his wife had been very sick and bedridden, and
when asked why he did not report his wife missing Willis said it was
because he did not want to lose custody of two children, a daughter
and a son.
The report also stated that on April 2, 1987, Howard Willis changed
his statement, saying his wife left in January 1987.
"...He had taken the children to McDonald's and to the Dollar Store
and when they returned Debbie had left,'' the report states.
There was also controversy surrounding the custody of the daughter of
the couple, whose name is being withheld at the request of the family.
An arrest warrant was issued for Howard Willis' arrest in December
1988 for felony kidnapping of the girl, a charge that was later
dismissed in court.
The daughter had the last name of Debra Willis' first husband,
although Howard Willis reportedly had blood tests done that proved he
was the child's father.
Howard Willis was profiled on an episode of the syndicated television
news magazine show "A Current Affair'' in October 1995 and said Debra
Willis' family was fabricating stories to keep his daughter away from
him.
Lark had custody of the child in 1991, and Willis gained custody of
his daughter in 1992.
"...The (child's) custody wasn't all that was at stake, so was
Howard's good name. This law-biding father was dragged into court by
his first wife's family. He says they turned his life into a living
hell,'' the reporter of the story said.
"They accused him of child abuse and murder. They even got Howard
charged with murder. ... The nightmare began in January 1987 when his
former wife Debbie packed her bags and simply disappeared.
"Despite a missing persons bulletin and a few reported sightings,
Debbie has never been heard from since. It's a real mystery.''
"Debbie was the type of person who loved her children and would not
just up and walk out on them. I think Howard is responsible for her
being missing,'' said Calton.
Lark said officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have
been "very helpful and supportive'' but added that some officials in
Bradley County have not been.
"I just feel like if those people in the sheriff's department in
Bradley County would have done their job and tried to get to the
bottom of Debbie's disappearance, the situation in Johnson City with
these teenagers might not have happened,'' said Lark.
"The Scott County Sheriff's Department has done all they could to
help, and I have talked with the same agent with the TBI for a number
of years now, and he has been wonderful to help us and give us
support.
"I don't think some of the investigators there in Bradley County were
allowed to do their job, and my sister's case was just ignored. We
talked and talked to people, and we never get any help. My sister is
still missing, and I want some answers.''
Howard Willis' case is to go before a special grand jury in Washington
County on Wednesday.
An investigator in Bradley County said Monday that they plan to
investigate the disappearance of Debra Willis in light of recent
developments surrounding Howard Willis, although they would not give a
definite time frame as to when the investigation would start.
They plan to search property currently owned by Willis in the county,
including a home that Debra Willis once lived in before her
disappearance.
http://www.timesnews.net/article1019.dna?StoryID=65385
Anne Warfield
gives the reason why Willis isn't going anywhere: apparently he's out
on bond for transporting two tons of cocaine, and using his
step-father's credit card violated that bond.
From http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_27824.asp
Willis Also Suspected In Mysterious Disappearance Of His Wife in 1987
posted October 17, 2002
Howard Hawk Willis
A man suspected in the death of his stepfather and a young Walker
County couple is also a suspect in the death of his wife in 1987.
Nancy Debra "Debbie" Winegar Willis, wife of Howard Hawk Willis, was
reported missing out of Catoosa County, Ga., and her body was never
found.
Chip Bryant, public information officer with the Bradley County
Sheriff's Office, said the revelation about the new cases "strengthens
our theory that he killed (Debbie Willis) many years ago and concealed
the body.
"When we can bring the current cases to a solution, we will look more
closely into this matter."
Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers said, "We had been anticipating
that he was responsible for her death, but we have no evidence to move
forward on. It looks like the people Willis associates with often
disappear."
Mr. Bryant said the Willis couple lived in Catoosa County, but was in
the process of building a house in Bradley County when the wife
disappeared in January 1987. He said they never occupied the Bradley
County residence.
Sheriff Summers said Gertrude Lark, an aunt of the missing woman who
lives in Virginia, had contacted authorities several times about the
disappearance of Debbie Willis. She was last seen by family members at
Christmas 1986 in Virginia.
Sheriff Summers said there was a custody dispute involving children
and Willis "was on the run" about the time of the disappearance of his
wife, who was 27 at the time.
He said Willis told authorities the last time he saw his wife was when
he left her off at a bus station in Chattanooga after she decided to
leave him.
Mr. Bryant said five Bradley County detectives have been in Washington
County in Upper East Tennessee all week working on the cases.
The Willis couple lived south of Ringgold while they were in Catoosa
County.
The head of a man found in Boone Lake in Johnson City earlier this
week was identified as that of Adam Christmer of Walker County.
Christmer, 17, and his wife, Samantha Leming Christmer, had been
missing since Oct. 4.
Authorities believe two hands found in the lake are those of Samantha
Leming Christmer, 16.
Officials said the case may be linked to the disappearance of Sam
Thomas of Bradley County.
Authorities say Willis, stepson of Sam Thomas, knew the Christmers,
and the newly married couple came with him to the Johnson City area.
Willis, 51, is in custody, but has not been charged in connection with
the missing trio.
Fishermen in Washington County, Tn., last weekend found the head and
two hands at separate locations in Boone Lake. The hands are believed
to be those of a young woman.
Personal items of the young couple were also found.
Sam Thomas disappeared Sept. 7. He was retired farmer living on Old
Lead Mine Valley Road.
Willis was in federal court in Greeneville Tuesday morning on drug
charges. It was stated at the hearing he had used the credit card of
Sam Thomas.
A fisherman found the head Friday about 9 p.m. floating in Boone Lake
near Winged Deer Park. Saturday morning, another fisherman found a
severed left hand near the edge of the lake. A search team later found
a severed right hand below the DeVault Bridge.
Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips said there was a gunshot wound
to the chin or throat area of the severed head.
Christmer called his mother about a week ago and said he was in
Johnson City, a missing persons report says.
U.S. Attorney Neil Smith said late last week federal agents received
information that Willis had been using the credit card belonging to
his stepfather. Willis was arrested two years ago for transporting
2,600 pounds of cocaine to a warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was out on
a $28,000 bond on that case.
Use of the credit card was cited by authorities for seeking revoke of
his bond.
Officials said Willis stated he had been in Johnson City to care for
his elderly mother.
The Christmers were married in August. They had known Willis about six
to eight weeks. They once were students at Ridgeland High School.
They were introduced to Willis by Leming's brother, Daniel Foster, who
had rented a room from Willis at one time.
Willis recently lived on Brock Road, about eight miles northwest of
LaFayette.
Anne Warfield
Couples' remains found; two women charged in slaying
By Abby Morris
Star Staff
amo...@starhq.com
JOHNSON CITY -- Investigators discovered the remains of what they
believe to be a teenage couple missing from Georgia in a self-storage
facility Thursday afternoon, and two elderly women have been charged
in connection with the couple's slaying, according to officials.
Investigators found two containers in storage unit number 47 of a
self-storage facility on the corner of Buffalo Street and State of
Franklin Road. According to Washington County Sheriff Fred Phillips,
the containers held the bodies of Adam Chrismer, 17, Walker County,
Ga., and his 16-year-old wife Samantha Lemming, also of Walker County.
Court documents filed Thursday stated that Howard "Hawk" Willis,
51, Walker County, Georgia, placed the mutilated bodies of the slain
teenagers in the rented storage unit and that Emma Elizabeth Hawk,
a.k.a. Betty Willis, his mother, knew about it.
Hawk, 71, of 104 Brentwood, Johnson City, is jailed on charges of
accessory after the fact of first degree murder, attempting to tamper
with evidence, and two counts of abuse of a corpse, according to court
papers. Her bond was set at $50,000.
Hawk's sister, Marie Holmes, 74, 1324 Lowell St., has also been
charged with attempting to tamper with evidence. Her bond was set at
$20,000.
The two women were arraigned in Washington County Court Thursday
afternoon.
Phillips said these charges stem from the ongoing investigation as
well as evidence found while searching the homes of Holmes and Hawk.
Agents from several law enforcement agencies began the search of
the storage unit Wednesday afternoon. A mobile crime lab from the
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrived on scene early Thursday
morning.
The containers that held the remains were approximately
four-and-a-half feet long, two feet wide, 20 inches deep, and were
held shut by a rope.
The organic decomposition of the bodies indicated the couple have
been dead for approximately a week, according to Vince Pinyard, the
county medical examiner for Washington, Greene and Unicoi Counties.
"One container appears to be older than the other," Pinyard said.
Phillips said, in addition to the containers, two cans of
accelerant believed to be a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel were
found along with rubber gloves, a hatchet, a hammer, and a large pair
of sheers. All of the objects are believed to have been used in the
crime.
Pinyard said whoever stored the remains probably intended to
dispose of them with the fuel accelerant that was found in the unit.
Forensics investigators found footprints and fingerprints in the
storage unit but have yet to identify them. Phillips said the storage
unit had been recently rented but would not release names.
The remains were removed from the site Thursday evening and were
taken to the Quillen College of Medicine for a final autopsy.
"This is like a tree right now; we don't know where the branches
are going," said Johnson City Police Chief Ron Street.
Willis will face charges of two counts of first degree murder when
he appears before a Grand Jury next week.
"At the present time, no law enforcement officials have attempted
to question Willis," Phillips said.
http://www.starhq.com/html/localnews/1002/101802Couples.html
Angie (cucci)
Anne Warfield <indi...@aolxxx.com> wrote in message
news:3dbbeae6...@news.earthlink.net...
Anne, I just read all the 7 or 8 posts you sent in, and all I can say is
Good God!!! What will it take to get this Willis accused of Murder. Seems
like the LE is and has been easy on him but why though. It's not like
Willis is a VIP so why the lack of urgency on this case, he was only a
trucker after all. I'm thinking he may know important people and has
supplied them with drugs, don't push or a scandal awaits? Thanks for all
this info and effort in finding it.
Take care and will mark this thread.
Angie
Anne Warfield
wrote:
>Anne, I just read all the 7 or 8 posts you sent in, and all I can say is
>Good God!!! What will it take to get this Willis accused of Murder. Seems
>like the LE is and has been easy on him but why though. It's not like
>Willis is a VIP so why the lack of urgency on this case, he was only a
>trucker after all. I'm thinking he may know important people and has
>supplied them with drugs, don't push or a scandal awaits? Thanks for all
>this info and effort in finding it.
>Take care and will mark this thread.
>
>Angie
It's possible, but I'm optimistic. I prefer to think that now that
all this shit has hit the fan, they're being *very* careful not to
screw up any future trials. At this point, what's the hurry? He's
not going anywhere. And with him in custody, maybe they can make
progress with any potential witness would be be too frightened
otherwise to come forward.
Here's the latest--
Bradley County Expected To Charge Willis With Stepfather's Murder
posted October 22, 2002
Bradley County Sheriff investigators said Tuesday they have discovered
"remnants of a violent incident" at the home where 73-year-old Sam
Thomas lived.
They said it is expected that his stepson, Howard Hawk Willis, will be
charged with his murder.
Authorities in Washington County, Tn., are expected to go before a
special grand jury there on Wednesday in connection with the gruesome
deaths of a young Walker County, Ga., couple, who went to Johnson City
with Willis.
Willis, 51, is also suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Debra
Willis, 14 years ago.
Bradley officials said, "The discovery was made yesterday as
investigators meticulously examined Mr. Thomas's home. Detectives say
they have found conclusive indications of gunshot activity in the home
where Mr. Thomas lived, the same home where Howard Hawk Willis once
lived."
A decomposing body believed to be that of Sam Thomas was found last
week in Walker County. It was missing the hand and hands.
Bradley County Sheriff Dan Gilley said at that time he was confident
they had found the body of Thomas.
Officials said, "With the discovery of a crime scene in Bradley County
and upon receiving final reports from the Georgia Bureau of
Investigations, Sheriff Gilley expects to order the presentation of
Howard Hawk Willis to a Bradley County Grand Jury for the murder of
Sam Thomas."
Detectives are continuing to search confidential areas for body parts
and instruments of the murder of Sam Thomas, it was stated.
Sheriff's detectives have formally filed a request to the FBI for the
use of sonar equipment and technicians to examine concrete structures
in the home of Thomas. These test will aid investigators in the search
of evidence that could tie Howard Hawk Willis to the mysterious
disappearance of his wife in the mid 1980s, officials stated.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_28130.asp
--
Anne Warfield
Slayings put Walker in spotlight again
10/22/02
Chris Fincher
Respond to this story
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Chrismer
At one time Walker County was primarily known for its rich Civil War
history, where campers retreated to the Chattahoochee National Forest
or drivers could roam endless scenic highways.
Before 2002 it was hardly a speck on the national map but nowadays it
is home to some of the most shocking crime stories being told.
Walker County rose to infamy in February when the owner of the
Tri-State Crematory was accused of hiding more than 330 decomposing
bodies on his land in Noble.
A host of law enforcement and news media outlets (some from as far
away as Europe) camped out at the crematory for several months as
bodies were pulled from work sheds and bushes.
They had hardly packed up their satellite trucks when a wanted felon
passed by a Methodist boys home in Villanow and killed two brothers
who were volunteering their free time.
Almost three months later the county has been hit by notoriety again.
Police are now trying to untwist the tale of how the body parts of a
GeorgiLeming
a newlywed couple have gotten scattered in Tennessee. Investigators
are trying to find the other remains of Adam Chrismer, 17, and
Samantha Foster Leming, 16.
Howard Hawk Willis, 51, who is awaiting sentencing in a federal
cocaine case in New York, has not been charged in the murder but is
considered the main suspect, said Washington County (Tenn.) Sheriff
Fred Phillips.
As the week of investigation drew to a close, a Walker County deputy
on Thursday, Oct. 17, found the badly decomposed body of an elderly
man who could be Willis’ missing stepfather, Samuel Thomas.
The headless body appeared to have been shot and dumped off Ga. 157 in
Walker County. The arms had been severed below the elbows.
Walker Sheriff Steve Wilson said his department plans to Thomas
continue the search for clues later this week, adding Leming’s birth
certificate and Ridgeland High School identification list her last
name as Foster.
Investigators searching for a motive suspect that the teens, who were
last seen with Willis in Walker County, knew something about the
murder of the 73-year-old stepfather.
Fishermen were first to find what is believed to be the head of
Chrismer last week, bobbing in a lake in Johnson City, Tenn. Two hands
that were found the next day in the same lake are believed to be those
of his wife, police are saying.
Investigators last week uncovered a storage building in Tennessee
holding large rubber containers — along with a hatchet and a pair of
large scissors — that contained human remains.
Authorities believe the remains are those of Chrismer and Leming.
Phillips said Friday that Willis was involved in a cocaine-for-sex
scheme with Chrismer and Leming.
"The investigation will probably reveal he had a sexual relationship
with the girl," Phillips said
Willis, who is also a suspect in the decade-old disappearance of his
wife Deborah Willis, pleaded guilty earlier this year to transporting
2,600 pounds of cocaine to a warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was
awaiting sentencing.
The grim shadow has made many people in the rural county a little more
wary of the world outside their manufacturing and farming jobs.
One woman refused to talk about the recent happenings, saying, "I just
don’t talk about things like that."
A roomful of patrons at Shear Time barbershop on the square also
refused to talk about the bad turn of events.
Chris Barrett of LaFayette said the silence is not uncommon, noting
that every time someone starts a dinner discussion about the current
events another person will change the subject.
"There’s a lot of bad stuff going on," said Ronnie Holden, a State
Farm Insurance agent in the small town of Flintstone.
"It seems like the entire country is getting more dangerous, but it
seems like this year has been a bad one in Walker," he said. "We’ve
had our share."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=730&NewsID=380662&CategoryID=3511&show=localnews&om=0
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