Ep 35 - The Gatlinburg Hotel Murders

Explicit content warning

07/06/24 • 61 min

Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a mountain resort town known for the beauty of the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains. In the 1980s, however, brutal murders at two local hotels--The Rocky Top Village Inn and the Holiday Inn--would change the area forever and introduce some infamous Gatlinburg ghost stories.

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Sources

State of Tennessee v. Joseph Charles DeModica (1990)
State of Tennessee v. Edward Leroy Haris (1992)
Waxman, L. (1988, August 30). Slaying suspect ‘ready, willing’ to participate, prosecutor says. The Tennessean.
Guinn, S. (1988, September 1). Woman clarifies murder role. Johnson City Press.
Guinn, S. (1988, September 2). Life term sentence in deaths. Johnson City Press.
Alapo, L. (2005, June 3). Man convicted in 1986 motel murders released. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Fowler, B. (2015, September 24). Cellmate indicted in ‘Tattoo Eddie’ slashing death. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Coleman, L. (2015, March 12). Gatlinburg inn killer dies in prison stabbing. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Kauffman, B. (1988, August 31). Inmate says defendant admitted being ‘lookout’ as 2 murdered. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1987, December 13). One of 4 linked to resort slaying still at large. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1988, March 19). Woman says she’ll wed slaying suspect. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1987, December 18). Sevier suspect says arrest a surprise. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Veal, K.F. (1986, September 15). 2 Gatlinburg workers slain. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1988, May 14). ‘Tattoo Eddie’ gets death. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Dockery, B. (1998, November 23). Defendant in Rocky Top slaying gets life plus 40 years. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Shafer, S. (1980, July 31). 2 girls strangled during trip to Smokies ‘had zest for life.’ The Courier-Journal.
Sybil McLain-Topel (2017). https://www.facebook.com/artsouthnow/posts/this-is-what-happened-monday-convicted-killer-hughes-up-for-parole-for-1980-teen/1663184380657799/
City Confidential – S2E19 – Smoky Mountain
Findagrave – Melissa Yvonne “Missie” Suttles Hill
Findagrave – Troy Dale Valentine
https://gatlinburghaunts.com/rocky-top-village-inn/
https://www.smokyvistas.com/a-brief-history-of-gatlinburg/

Come follow us on Instagram: @itsmurderyall

Our website is finally up and running (woot woot!): itsmurderyall.com

Sources

State of Tennessee v. Joseph Charles DeModica (1990)
State of Tennessee v. Edward Leroy Haris (1992)
Waxman, L. (1988, August 30). Slaying suspect ‘ready, willing’ to participate, prosecutor says. The Tennessean.
Guinn, S. (1988, September 1). Woman clarifies murder role. Johnson City Press.
Guinn, S. (1988, September 2). Life term sentence in deaths. Johnson City Press.
Alapo, L. (2005, June 3). Man convicted in 1986 motel murders released. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Fowler, B. (2015, September 24). Cellmate indicted in ‘Tattoo Eddie’ slashing death. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Coleman, L. (2015, March 12). Gatlinburg inn killer dies in prison stabbing. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Kauffman, B. (1988, August 31). Inmate says defendant admitted being ‘lookout’ as 2 murdered. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1987, December 13). One of 4 linked to resort slaying still at large. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1988, March 19). Woman says she’ll wed slaying suspect. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1987, December 18). Sevier suspect says arrest a surprise. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Veal, K.F. (1986, September 15). 2 Gatlinburg workers slain. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Thomas, L.R. (1988, May 14). ‘Tattoo Eddie’ gets death. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Dockery, B. (1998, November 23). Defendant in Rocky Top slaying gets life plus 40 years. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Shafer, S. (1980, July 31). 2 girls strangled during trip to Smokies ‘had zest for life.’ The Courier-Journal.
Sybil McLain-Topel (2017). https://www.facebook.com/artsouthnow/posts/this-is-what-happened-monday-convicted-killer-hughes-up-for-parole-for-1980-teen/1663184380657799/
City Confidential – S2E19 – Smoky Mountain
Findagrave – Melissa Yvonne “Missie” Suttles Hill
Findagrave – Troy Dale Valentine
https://gatlinburghaunts.com/rocky-top-village-inn/
https://www.smokyvistas.com/a-brief-history-of-gatlinburg/

Previous Episode

Ep 34 - The Tanning Bed Murders

18-year-olds Melissa Chilton and Tiffany Campbell were young, beautiful girls with their whole lives ahead of them until the wrong person walked into the Exotic Tan for Men.

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Check out our website (it's a work in progress): itsmurderyall.com

Sources

Highland, D. (1996, February 23). Two teen-age employees of tanning salon slain. The Tennessean.
Moore, L.A. (1996, February 24). Youth, hope die on the wild side. The Tennessean.
Moore, L.A. (1996, February 27). Police say slain dancers possibly knew assailant. The Tennessean.
CrimeStoppers. (1997, July 9). Exotic Tan slayings clues worth $1,000. The Tennessean.
Campos, A. (2002, March 29). Man held in spree was Jesuit coach. The Sacramento Bee.
Wilson, W. (2002, April 19). Guilty plea in robberies. The Sacramento Bee.
Ritter, F. (2006, February 21). Mom will pay for info in her slain daughter’s ‘cold case.’ The Tennessean.
Hass, B. (2013, February 23). Ex-football star charged in cold case. The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Barchenger, S. (2015, August 28). After 19 years, mothers will face suspect in daughters’ slayings. The Tennessean.
Barchenger, S. (2016, July 11). Judge denies lower bond in tanning bed slayings case. The Tennessean.
Barchenger, S. (2017, March 16). Man charged in 1996 deaths argues for case’s dismissal. The Tennessean.
Tamburin, A. (2017, November 30). Suspect in 1996 tanning bed killings will be released on bond. The Tennessean.
Artnfield, M. (2018). Monster City: Murder, music, and mayhem in Nashville’s dark age. Little A.
Snopes – Tanning Bed Death. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brown-betty/
The Kentucky Bordello Murders - https://unsolved.com/gallery/candy-belt-gloria-ross/

Next Episode

Ep 36 - Murder in Myrtle Beach Pt. 1

Brent and Renee Poole venture out for a late-night walk on the beach to celebrate their anniversary. Unfortunately, only one of them would leave that beach alive.

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And visit our website: itsmurderyall.com

Sources

Hudson, D. (2006). Dance of death. Pinnacle.
Scorned: Love Kills - Desperate Housewife - S1 Ep3
Snapped - Renee Poole - S7 Ep10
Accomplice to Murder - SC v. Poole S1 Ep 5
Murderpedia - Kimberly Renee Poole - https://murderpedia.org/female.P/p/poole-renee.htm