Notorious serial killer Gary Michael Hilton has confessed to murdering a Florida nurse, breaking his 17-year silence in an exclusive Court TV interview. Hilton, 78, spoke with investigative reporter David Scott for the true-crime series "Interview with a Killer." The episode airs Sunday, April 13.
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"It's time," Hilton told Scott. "After 17 years, I'm ready to speak."
A Killer's Confession
Hilton, dubbed the National Forest Serial Killer, admitted to killing Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, a nurse murdered in 2007 in Leon County, Florida. He currently sits on Florida's death row for that crime. Hilton also serves four life sentences for the 2012 murders of John D. Bryant and Irene W. Bryant in North Carolina national forests, plus another life sentence for the 2008 killing of Meredith Emerson in Georgia.
Until now, Hilton had confessed to the Bryant and Emerson murders but stayed silent about Dunlap. In the upcoming episode titled "Psycho Killer," he changes that. "Let me give you a news scoop," Hilton tells Scott. "I did it." Staring directly at the camera, he adds, "I'm confessing to a murder on camera, and I'll gladly tell anybody I did."
Hilton, still appealing his 2011 Dunlap conviction, cites his failing health as a reason for confessing. "I'm going to die soon," he says. "That's one reason I'm doing this."
A Chilling Encounter
Scott, a veteran journalist, describes Hilton as unlike any killer he's met. "He promised a 'lollapalooza' of an interview that would 'knock your socks off,'" Scott recalls. Hilton warned Scott to "be prepared to meet a whole different breed of cat." When pressed, Hilton said, "I'm just like no one else, really."
"Is that a serial killer?" Scott asked.
"They're a dime a dozen," Hilton replied.
"Psychopath?"
"No," Hilton said firmly.
"Sociopath?"
"I have part of that in me," he admitted.
Scott shared his reaction with PEOPLE magazine. "I've faced many killers, but nothing prepared me for Gary Michael Hilton," he says. "He's the most prolific and perhaps the most maniacal murderer we've covered. His absolute lack of empathy stunned me -- it's as if it's not in his DNA."
Insight Into a Killer's Mind
Hilton's confession offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a man who took at least four lives. Scott believes understanding killers like Hilton is key to stopping them. "If we're ever going to prevent these crimes, we need to comprehend what drives them," he says. The episode also honors Meredith Emerson, Hilton's final victim, whose bravery helped police end his spree -- at the cost of her own life.
You can check out the two-hour season premiere of "Interview With a Killer" on Court TV, airing Sunday, April 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, for the full story.
