Hawk Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder; Sentenced To Life In Prison

Billy Hawk on Monday was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Johnny Mack Salyer. He was sentenced to a fixed punishment of life in prison.

The 1981 cold case murder was reopened in 2015 after almost 35 years of silence. Witness testimony in the trial ranged from expert forensics agents to friends and family of both Hawk and Salyer.

The state’s narrative claimed Hawk, possibly fearing Salyer would testify against him in court after a drug-related arrest, shot the victim, stuffed him inside a steel barrel, and dropped him in the Tennessee River.

The defense contended that the majority of witness testimony was unreliable due to the number of years that had passed since the slaying. They also pointed out several pieces of valuable evidence that had been lost or destroyed, including the barrel itself.

Judge Don Poole told the jurors they had made a “tough decision.”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a jury work longer and harder and be more attentive to the case itself,” he said.

The trial had been ongoing since Tuesday morning last week. After four and a half long days, jurors began deliberating at noon on Saturday. They announced their verdict at about 11 a.m.

Since the trial began, the jury was sequestered, under supervision of court officers round the clock.

During sequestration, access to Internet, television, and even communication with family members has been extremely limited and strictly monitored. Today will be the first time jurors have been allowed to go home in nearly a week.

Outside the courtroom after the verdict, Salyer’s family members spoke to the media.

Katy Cunningham, Salyer’s older sister, said the murder had destroyed her family. She had been certain they would never get an answer as to who was responsible for her brother’s death.

Jackie Jocelyn, Salyer’s cousin, said for 35 years everyone had simply “tried to stay safe.” Not knowing who the murderer was, she said they were afraid for their lives and their family, fearing the same thing “would happen to (them).”

“I took a risk,” she said, when asked about speaking to the cold case investigators. She said the witnesses took a risk, as well.

Ms. Cunningham said the detectives “had to chase these witnesses down” and that some even ran from them.

“They had been scared, just as our family was,” she said.

She concluded, however, that “it was worth it.”

“Nobody ever needs to go through this,” Ms. Jocelyn said.

Both women praised the efforts of District Attorney Neal Pinkston and the cold case team. Ms. Cunningham hoped future cold case investigations could help “the rest of these families that are out there.”

When asked what Hawk’s guilty verdict meant to her and her loved ones, she said there was “finally some closure and justice.”