Oak Ridge Today

Pair of unrelated fires destroy houses

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Information from WYSH Radio

No one was injured, but a house on Patt Lane in Claxton was said to be a total loss after a fire on Saturday night.

An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy responded to the scene and reported that the entire roof of the home was engulfed by flames and that the fire was rapidly spreading to the second floor of the structure. He also discovered the homeowner attempting to fight the fire with a water hose, and the tenant—the owner’s son—removing personal items from the burning home. Deputy Tyler Culver reported that he had to remove the younger man from the house twice as he tried to save items even as the fire spread.

Despite the best efforts of firefighters from the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department and Rural Metro, all that was left standing of the home was a pair of brick chimneys. Firefighters said that the blaze appeared to have begun in the attic, and the tenant told deputies that neither fireplace was in use at the time of the fire, and that due to ongoing renovations, he had been using electric and propane heaters as his primary heat sources. Firefighters found no traces of any accelerant or any other evidence of arson, but the exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

The homeowner did not have insurance on the property. [Read more…]

Follis found guilty of first-degree murder in death penalty case

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Norman Lee Follis Jr May 10 2016

Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52, is facing the death penalty as a possible sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, for killing his uncle in Claxton more than four years ago. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 a.m. May 11.

CLINTON—An Anderson County man who is facing the death penalty as a possible sentence was found guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday for killing his uncle in Claxton more than four years ago.

A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for about one hour and 40 minutes before unanimously returning the guilty verdict against Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52,  in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton. Follis was convicted of killing his uncle, Samuel “Sammie” J. Adams, 79, sometime between December 5, 2011, and January 24, 2012.

It was the first death penalty trial in Anderson County since 1991, officials said.

Adams’ body was found hidden underneath an apartment staircase on Patt Lane in Claxton on January 24, 2012, after he was reported missing in December 2011. His decomposing body was buried under at least 10 blankets, and a couch had been shoved up against the door of the closet where Adams was hidden, according to testimony.

Defense attorneys did not dispute that Follis killed his uncle, a Korean War veteran.

“We cannot whitewash that out,” attorney Mart Cizek said. [Read more…]

Jury in first-degree murder trial could be sequestered up to 2 weeks

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Norman Lee Follis

Norman Lee Follis

CLINTON—The jury in a first-degree murder trial that continues in Clinton on Monday could be sequestered for up to two weeks, a prosecutor said Friday.

That means jurors will be “separate and apart from others” during that time, said Tony Craighead, deputy district attorney general in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County). Jurors will only be able to communicate with others by using the phone of a law enforcement officer and only under the supervision of an officer.

“You cannot have any contact with the outside world,” Craighead said in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton as prosecutors and defense attorney Mart Cizek questioned potential jurors in the courtroom and dismissed some, often four at a time.

Jurors can’t have cell phones or electronic devices, such as tablets or iPads. They can bring printed books, but not electronic ones. They will be prohibited from reading, hearing, or seeing any news about the trial for Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52, who has been charged with first-degree murder, property theft of more than $1,000, and forgery. [Read more…]

DA: State seeks death penalty against pair accused of murder

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Norman Lee Follis Jr.

Norman Lee Follis Jr.

Note: This story was last updated at 12:50 p.m.

State officials will seek the death penalty against a pair accused in the murder of a 79-year-old man whose body was found hidden underneath an apartment staircase on Patt Lane in Claxton two years ago, authorities said.

Norman Lee Follis Jr., 50, and Tammy Sue Chapman, 46, are accused of killing Sammie J. Adams sometime between December 5, 2011, and January 24, 2012, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a Monday announcement. Adams’ body was found under a stairwell in his home after friends and neighbors reported that they hadn’t seen him in a while, Clark said.

Adams’ age—he was over 70—was an aggravating factor leading to the death penalty request, Clark said. [Read more…]

Woman faces first-degree murder charge in death of boyfriend’s uncle

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Tammy Sue Chapman

Tammy Sue Chapman

A former Claxton woman is facing a first-degree murder charge for her alleged role in the death of a 79-year-old man whose body was found hidden underneath an apartment staircase on Patt Lane two years ago.

Tammy Sue Chapman, 45, was indicted on the murder charge by an Anderson County grand jury on Feb. 4. She was arrested Friday.

She and her boyfriend Norman Lee Follis Jr., 50, both now face the first-degree murder charge.

The victim, Sammie J. Adams, 79, of Patt Lane in Claxton, was Follis’ uncle. [Read more…]