Victim’s final minutes caught on store surveillance

Victim’s final minutes caught on store surveillance

KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - New developments in the murder of Beverly Hope Melton, the last time the victim was seen in public was caught on store surveillance.

The video shows the final minutes of Hope Melton's life, when she made that fateful stop at a Chesterfield County gas station.

PHOTO GALLERY

Click to view a gallery of photos from crime scene In the video, Melton walks within inches of the man investigators say kidnapped, raped and beat her to death.

The video captures the last images anyone will ever see of Hope Melton alive.

It came Monday as Melton stopped at Jack's convenience store in Jefferson.

The footage shows accused killer Nickolas Miller walk in and head to the beer cooler.

The clerk rings him up, at the same time Hope Melton pulls up to the gas pumps outside.

As Melton walks in the store to pay, Miller walks out the door, standing only inches away from her. Then he watches her walk in.

Melton pays the clerk, then walks back to her car as Miller parks his red Chevy off to the side.

As Melton's white Chevy pulls away, Miller pulls out behind her.

"She had no idea that she was in danger at that point," said Hope Melton's brother-in law Frankie Melton.

Frankie says Hope tried to call her grandmother several miles away from the store, after she realized someone was following her.

"He got right up on her back bumper and she, at that point, called her grandmother and said that someone was following her and it was a black man from the store, that she had seen at the store," said Frankie."Her grandmother told her not to stop for anything and come straight on to her house and don't stop for anything and that's the last they heard from her."

Kershaw County investigators say Nickolas Miller ran Melton off the road and kidnapped her.

Miller tried to rape her several times, according to deputies and drove her around in his car for more than an hour.

"The details are absolutely incomprehensible; this was not a crime of passion in a moment," said Frankie. "This guy had a long time to think about this. He followed her for miles. He drove her around in his car for several miles"

One of the attempts happened only yards away from Miller's home, where deputies set up a crime scene Monday.

Deputies say Miller used a baseball bat and beat Hope Melton to death in Kershaw County.

Investigators used the surveillance video to identify Miller.

"Honestly, we hoped that if she was dead it was by a gunshot and it was quick, but it wasn't quick," said Frankie. "She suffered, she suffered, he had time to think about it and he did it anyway, he's a monster. He deserves to die."

According to Sheriff Jim Matthews, he's met with the solicitor and plans to seek the death penalty against Miller.

It could take several weeks before the solicitor makes a final decision on that.

But for now, Miller is currently in a Kershaw County jail cell, awaiting a bond hearing on a murder charge.

Related Stories:

Man arrested after leading deputies to body

http://www.wistv.com/story/16407832/victims-final-minutes-caught-on-store-surveillance

Video at above link:

What a difference a gun could have made, or even a call to 911. If you are in mortal danger from a criminal attack, don't call an unarmed family member or better yet- defend yourself.


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In that situation, I'll take "floor it", thank you!

 

I've been to Jefferson. It's a sleepy rural town in the middle of nowhere.

You don't expect crime like this there and a call to 911 would take a while for a response because it's not suburbia or a city.

 

Hence, flooring it! Kick on the hi-intensity driving lights and see just how good the dude chasing me is. I know my and my Caddy's limits...bet he doesn't.

 

LOL or as my son would say - "drive it like you stole it!"

On the other hand, this is not a funny story. It's so sad and horrendous that she had to go through all this before she died.

This man is a monster who should be dead. Save us all some money.

 

Wanna bet this isn't his first time? Absolutely horrific.

 

she had an old chevy sedan and he had a 4 banger new chevy

the roads are not condusive to high speed operation nor can a person in a state of panic control a vehicle. It sounds good to say but reality and the circumstances are quite different

in fact, the opposite is true. If the person is on your tail then drop to 5-10 mph. They can't hop out of the car but they also can't run you off the road as easily.

we're talking rural roads with hills, dips, treeline right next to the road etc

 

Thank you Don Glock for posting yet another instance of serious crime committed by a black person. This must be about your 300th OP on this topic and I have yet to see you post an OP on a serious crime committed by a non-black. Perhaps you could be a little less subtle and just come out and say what you think, no? Is it that crime committed by black persons is out of control, or that most blacks are criminals, or is it that blacks are generally a menace to non-blacks, or is it that blacks are sub-human? Just what is the subtle message you are trying to convey to the PF members?

 

You are the ONLY person so far in this thread to notice the color of his skin. I did not even think about it until you brought it up.

Ironic.

 

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Where would you rather your loved one be?​

 

Word.

Here are my two options... at home.





If I am traveling any distance I have the Glock regardless of California or any other state law.

 

Just because you needed to be totally exposed here.

You are the ONLY person so far in this thread to notice the color of his skin. I did not even think about it until you brought it up.

Ironic.

 

Wow, I didn't see anything about his race - I guess you have to look at the photo gallery for that. Even so, who is the real racist, the one who doesn't notice the race of the perpetrator, or the one who points it out?

 

my wife is pushing me to get a gun and get all the kids trained on its use.

 

I have 540 cubic inches, Impala SS suspension, speed rated tires...go for it, dude. Of course, if he's in a small car...a nice brake-check would leave my 4700lb Cadillac with a scraped bumper & him with a face full of airbag. I'm familiar with rural roads, and I'll put my vehicle and driving skills up against a typical thug's any day.

 

I would rather my loved ones know self defense, rather than resorting to taking another life.

 

Then you would prefer them dead.

 

No I wouldn't. I wouldn't want them to kill another person unless it was necessary. It sounds like the woman mentioned didn't stand a chance because she was ambushed that quickly, there was no time for her to fight.

 

http://www.politicalforum.com/gun-c...ntruder-911-operators-say-its-okay-shoot.html

http://www.politicalforum.com/gun-c...een-shoots-kills-intruder-pink-38-pistol.html


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guns wouldn't cure this epidemic of crime it has to be welfare assistance to fix the communities that create these type of people so they don't have to commit armed robberies any longer

 

All of the above!

 

I think your on the wrong thread.

Nothing in there about robbery. So not having enough money causes people to kidnapped, rape and beat others to death? You'll need to explain that further for us.

 

This area is Very rural.. I think the nearest towns are Ruby, Clio and Macbee,, None of them could have a population of much over 400 people.

 

You call him a "person" come on son tell it like it is. he's a pos animal that deserves a long painful slow death. sub human, you give that animal much too much credit he's barely evolved from an ape.

 

You do that, see how far it gets you when confronted by an animal like this pos.