A man was in custody and charged with murder after machete attacks on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. This is the view south along the A.T. upon entering the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area within the Jefferson National Forest from Grayson Highlands State Park in Grayson County, Virginia/Famartin via wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's note: This updates with information from the criminal complaint filed by the FBI in the case and deletes outdated material.
A Massachusetts man who previously had been accused of threatening hikers on the Appalachian Trail was in jail Monday on charges of murdering one hiker and injuring another with a machete or knife.
James L. Jordan, of West Yarmouth, Mass., in April allegedly had threatened other A.T. hikers in Unicoi County, Tennessee, according to the complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Micah J. Childers.
On Friday night the man approached a camp of four backpackers on a section of the A.T. in the Wythe County, Virginia, within the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia.
The 30-year-old, who "was acting disturbed and unstable, and was playing his guitar and singing" when he approached the four, began threatening them, saying he would pour gasoline on their tents and "burn them to death," the complaint (attached below) added.
The four hikers decided to pack up and head down the trail, but before they could Jordan attacked one of them with his machete or knife, then chased down a second and attacked her, the FBI agent wrote.
'Victim #2 fell to the ground and played dead, at which point Jordan left to find his dog," the complaint went on. "Victim #2 then ran down the trail towards Smyth County. Victim #2 received assistance from a male and female hiker, who assisted in helping her hike an additional 6 miles into Smyth County, where they called 911."
Shortly after 6 a.m. local time Saturday a tactical team from the Wythe County Sheriff's Office reached the campsite where the incident began and arrested Jordan, the complaint said. The first victim of the attack also was discovered there and pronounced dead. Later that day the second victim was interviewed in the Bristol Regional Medical Center, and identified Jordan as her attacker, the filing added.
The complaint did not indicate whether Jordan resisted the officers. It also did not name the victims or the other hikers.
While the section of trail from Virginia 16 at Mount Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters (mile 534.2) north to Virgina 42 (mile 558.2) near Ceres/Groseclose had initially been closed, it reopened Sunday, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
"I commend local law enforcement in Wythe and Smyth Counties for mobilizing successful rescue and tactical operations in this remote region," Thomas T. Cullen, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said in a prepared statement. "Thanks to their efforts, the suspect was safely apprehended and the seriously wounded victim received critical medical care. We will continue to work with our state and local partners to bring the perpetrator of this senseless and brutal attack to justice."
The murder was the first on the iconic footpath that roams from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin in Maine since the summer of 2011. Scott A. Lilly, 30, of South Bend, intended to hike from central Maryland south to Springer Mountain, Georgia, the southern terminus of the famed trail when he was killed that summer. His partially buried body was found August 12 along a side trail to the Cow Camp Gap Shelter in George Washington–Jefferson National Forest. No one has been brought to trial in that case.
Lilly’s last known contact was from the shelter July 31, 2011. His body was not identified until August 16. That shelter is about 0.6 mile east of the A.T. along the Old Hotel Trail, which loops around and rejoins the A.T. again about two miles north.
A state medical examiner in January 2012 determined that Lilly, who used the trail name "Stonewall," was suffocated. Most of the man's gear went missing, including new trail shoes (Walmart’s Ozark Trail brand), a blue or purple backpack, a Nintendo game, and “an A.T. handbook."
The latest murder marks at least the 11th on the trail since a murder along the A.T. was investigated in 1974 in a Georgia case.
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Comments
The AT has always had "homeless" and "mentally unstable". I hiked with many of them. I see no evidence that it has seen an increase that is any more than that for the country at large and not sure what the "ATC" could do about them. GAME2002
No, not the case. The FBI always has primary jurisdiction on Federal lands, if it chooses to exercise that authority. It will always accept a case of felony homicide when committed on a Federal reservation...
The complaint alleges that that the crime was committed within the special maritime or territorial jurisdiciton of the United States. Therefore, the government is arguing that the land is in concurrent or exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S., which is an element of SMTJ (proprietary is not). You are correct that the FBI cannot charge the 18 USC murder charge unless it demonstrates that the land is within the SMTJ of the U.S. If it was proprietary, the state would have to file the charge.
Yes I agree, and I have also shared shelters with them. 99.9% no problem. I also admitt that this may be an unfair shot at the ATC. But it probably comes from my frustration with the ATC. I really don't know what their role is anymore. The trail is manitained by volunteers at their own expense with the ATC contributing a few grants (only about $200,000 as far as I can tell, but it's hard to get this number out of them). It just makes you wonder where the rest of their $11,000,000 budget goes. I will also add that I don't have a solution for this problem either. 4,000 miler.
RES, I did some research but I don't know the answer still. SS 1-400(c) of the Virgina Code states that on or after July 1, 1981, "Over all lands hereafter acquired by the United States, the Commonwealth hereby cedes to the United States concurrent governmental, judicial, executive and legislative power and jurisdiction." However, since Washington and Jefferson National Forests were estalabised in the early 1900's, the land was not "hereafter" acquired, so that statute wouldn't seem to apply. It is possible that Virginia ceeded concurrent jurisdiciton in the early 1900's when the forests were formed, but if so that act is not searchable on the Virgina law website. This area of the law is extremely difficult to research but does interest me.
Res, I will point out that National Forests in North Carolina are in concurrent jurisdiction. See United States v Raffield (a 4th circuit case) (https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-4th-circuit/1222012.html) and NCGS 104-5 (https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_...). Hope that's informative.
I agree with your statement (posted by Larry). According to news media reports (as well as the criminal complaint), the homicide occurred within the National Forest Service property. My understanding is that all USFS property is proprietary only. If that's the case, I'm completely baffled how the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office can move forward on this case with those charges. Can you shed some light on this? It will be interesting to see what develops.
Larry... thank you for the additional insight on the possibility that the USFS has concurrent jurisdiction at that particular Forest site. I may just call the DC office for USFS and just inquire with them what their status is. Jurisdiction is a fascinating subject to say the least! Please PM me at [email protected] if you have additional information.