Grassy Creek murders

3 charges of murder filed

Man held in Florida the sole suspect, sheriff says, in Grayson deaths

January 28, 2008

By Monte Mitchell
JOURNAL REPORTER

Independence, Va.

Authorities charged an Ashe County man yesterday in connection with the killings of three people at a Grayson County Christmas tree farm.

They also say he may be connected to the disappearance of an Ashe County man nearly a year ago.

Frederick Phillip Hammer, 48, who was found in Florida, was charged with three counts of capital murder, said Sheriff Richard Vaughan of Grayson County.

Hammer is accused of killing Ronald Hudler, the owner of one of the nation's largest Christmas-tree farms, Hudler's son Fred and an employee, John Miller Jr.

Authorities said they believe that Fred Hudler, 44, and Miller, 25, came upon a burglary Thursday morning. Ronald Hudler, 74, apparently heard the gunshots that killed the two men, came outside his home to investigate, was forced back inside and shot in his living room, authorities said. An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen from a gun safe in the garage. The bodies were discovered by Ronald Hudler's son Bill shortly before noon.

Hammer is the only suspect in the case, Vaughan said. Hammer, who runs a small firewood business, had worked on and off for Ronald Hudler, doing construction jobs around the house.

Authorities questioned Hammer around midnight Thursday, but did not charge him then, Vaughan said. He said Hammer and his wife left for Florida around noon Friday. She is not charged with any crimes.

In Florida, a task force of U.S. marshals kept Hammer under surveillance. They took him into custody without incident at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday at his stepfather's home in Punta Gorda, Fla., for violating probation in a North Carolina case. The sheriff said he was unaware of why Hammer was on probation, but it was a violation for him to leave North Carolina without permission.

Vaughan said that by 3 a.m. yesterday authorities had obtained enough information to seek capital murder charges against Hammer. Hammer was in jail at the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office in Florida yesterday. He has waived extradition and will be returned soon to Grayson County.

Authorities said early in the investigation that they were looking at suspects who knew that Ronald Hudler often kept large amounts of cash in the safe. None of the cash has been recovered.

The location of the murders was in Grayson County, although the dirt road leading to Hudler's home starts off N.C. 16 in Ashe County, about 100 yards from the North Carolina/Virginia state line.

Hammer runs a firewood business at his home along N.C. 16 not far away in Ashe County.

Authorities in North Carolina said yesterday that they are interested in talking with Hammer in connection with the disappearance of Jimmy Blevins, a 41-year-old Ashe County man reported missing by his family last year. Blevins lived near Hammer. When deputies arrived at Blevins' home on Feb. 27, 2007, they found the crock pot cooking and the lights on, but have found no sign of Blevins to this day.

"Never a trace," said Ashe County Sheriff James Williams. "We've searched high and low, from the air, dog team, you name it, we've done it."

Blevins worked for Hammer off and on, and Hammer was the last person seen with him, Williams said. Authorities say they believe that Blevins is dead.

"He's (Hammer) always been a person of interest in the Blevins case from the start," Williams said.

Hammer also lived near the site of a 2005 fatal shooting. Tim Shatley was shot to death in his truck on N.C. 16 on his way home from work. The killing is still unsolved. Williams said that there was so little evidence in the Shatley case that authorities don't know whether there's a connection to Hammer.

Authorities had said early in the investigation that they were focusing on about 50 migrant workers who helped harvest Christmas trees this past season on the family's farms. Vaughan said that a team of agents interviewed workers, and developed several leads based on their help. He said that the information about Hammer was based on talking to the Hudler family.

The Hudler family had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Dozens of local, state, and federal agents have worked on the investigation, including the Ashe County Sheriff's Office, the State Bureau of Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service and other agencies.

"We worked together as a team," Vaughan said. "I just don't know how to tell thank you to those who came.. We all worked together tremendously as a team."

A memorial service for Miller will be held today in West Jefferson. A service for Ronald and Fred Hudler will be held Wednesday.