Slaying suspect seeks release

A lawyer for a former Florence County sheriff’s deputy accused of killing his mother and stepfather for money has filed a motion to get his client released from prison before his trial.

Timothy James Poole, 35, was arrested May 1 and is charged in a 20-count indictment in connection with the death of Linda Poole Hilton and William Henry “Bubba” Hilton Jr. of Nesmith.

The couple were found shot to death Aug. 2, 2006, at their Lakewood Plantation home.

Poole faces one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 17 counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud in connection with the deaths because he mailed documents that would lead to his benefiting from her trust and estate, according to the indictment.

According to a memorandum in support of Poole’s pretrial release filed by his defense attorney, Kirk Truslow, prosecutors want Poole to stay behind bars because of the brutality of the crime he’s accused of committing.

Truslow went on to refute claims by a government agent who said that photographs of the footwear impression taken from the scene matched Poole’s “perfectly.”

Truslow wrote that the defense counsel has a copy of the FBI report and it states the photographs of the impressions share some design features waith Poole’s footwear. The impressions retained limited details, according to the memorandum. Other associations between it and Poole’s shoe weren’t made.

Government agents testified during the hearing that surveillance video from a nearby chicken plant recorded a vehicle similar to Poole’s arriving at and departing from the crime scene during the time of the slayings.

Truslow said no conclusion could be reached about whether the video showed Poole’s car.

Federal authorities allege that before her death, Poole-Hilton became “increasingly disenchanted” with her son Timothy’s behavior and threatened to stop assisting him financially as of August 2006. Prosecutors said letters written by Poole-Hilton before her death support this.

Truslow said letters were found on Poole-Hilton’s computer, but there was no indication the letters were ever printed, signed or mailed.

Also, in August 2006, Poole and his wife Jodie Ann had financial difficulties, including the impending foreclosure of their Florence home and the bank repossessing their vehicle, according to the indictment. Jodie Ann Poole, 33, is charged in the same indictment and faces the same charges as Timothy Poole.

Truslow said Poole-Hilton intended to stop paying Poole’s mortgage, but also offered to let him and his family live rent-free in another home she owned.

According to the indictment, if Poole-Hilton died, the three Poole children would receive funds from their mother’s estate under the terms of the trust.

Poole-Hilton wrote in a letter that the trust skips a generation and her son, Timothy, wouldn’t inherit “a bunch of money,” according to the memorandum.

In addition to seeking Timothy Poole’s release pending his trial, Truslow also asked the court if the suspects could be tried separately.

No ruling on either matter has been handed down.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfred “Buddy” Bethea, who is prosecuting the case, said prosecutors have 15 days to respond to the release memorandum.

A judge will likely address both requests during a hearing in October.