Triple murder case takes next step in court system

A general district court judge found enough evidence to send Freddy Hammer’s capital murder cases on to a Grayson County grand jury, the next step in a jury possibily hearing the case sometime in early 2009.

Hammer is accused of brutally murdering Hudler Tree Farm owner Ron Hudler, his son Fred Hudler, and farm employee John Miller in late January.

An assistant chief medical examiner said all the victims died of gunshot wounds to the head.

Courtroom testimony pointed to robbery as a possible motive.

Testimony revealed investigators found a safe and other items belonging to the Hudlers near Hammer’s rural Ashe County, North Carolina home.

More testimony talked about tire marks left at the scene.

Investigators theorize the killer tried to load a large safe into a truck parked inside a garage near Ron Hudler’s residence.

Courtroom testimony pointed to evidence the safe was too heavy to load.

One witness also testified about seeing Hammer with a small caliber handgun the day before the murders inside Hammer’s work truck.

The witness told the court he never saw the gun again after the killings.

A pair of witnesses testified to spotting Hammer near the murder scene. One said he saw him before the murders. Another said she saw him after.

The Grayson County commonwealth’s attorney also revealed investigators have Hammer’s truck both entering and leaving the area of the murders on surveillance tape from a nearby convenience store.

Hammer’s attorneys chose not to call any witnesses in the more than five hour long hearing.

No witnesses testified to actually seeing Hammer at the murder scene.

There was no mention at the hearing of any alleged murder weapon being found.

The Grayson County grand jury is scheduled to meet in late October.

Several sources told 10 On Your Side a special grand jury could be called in a few weeks to speed up the process.