Hilton indicted for woman's murder in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A drifter who pleaded guilty to killing a hiker in Georgia was indicted Thursday in Florida for the murder of a woman whose body was found decapitated, officials said.

Gary Michael Hilton was charged with one count of murder, one count of kidnapping and two counts of grand theft in the death of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, according to a news release from the Leon County Sheriff's Office. The nurse and Sunday school teacher's body was found in Florida's Apalachicola National Forest on Dec. 15.

"I am confident that based on the forensic evidence collected and the investigative efforts of all the law enforcement officers involved, a dangerous killer will be brought to justice in Leon County," Sheriff Larry Campbell said in the release.

Hilton was not given bond for the murder and kidnapping charges, but was granted a bond of $50,000 for the grand theft charges.

He has already pleaded guilty in the beating death and decapitation of Meredith Emerson, 24, and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Emerson was kidnapped while she was taking a New Year's Day hike in the north Georgia mountains with her dog, authorities say. Police found her body Jan. 7.

Investigators in North Carolina have also linked Hilton to the slaying of 84-year-old Irene Bryant and disappearance of her 80-year-old husband John Bryant.