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Murphy – Disposition of several major felony cases were continued to May 20 by Judge Steven Warren in Cherokee County Superior Court on Feb. 26.
Those cases include:
- Dr. Thomas Van Clayton, an Andrews physician facing human trafficking and first-degree sex offenses dating to 2023. Clayton is free after posting $1 million bond.
- Demarcgo de Nell Coleman, an Andrews man facing a murder charge dating to 2020.
- David Adam Hull, a local resident facing charges of indecent liberties with a child. Hull is being held in the Cherokee County Detention Center in lieu of $120,000 bond.
- James Tyrone Smith, a Murphy man facing a murder charge in the death of a Cherokee County nurse’s aide. He is being held without bail in the county jail.
- Patrick Ryan Williams, a homeless man accused of murdering a former girlfriend with a machete in 2023. He is being held without bail in the county jail.
- Brian Dempsey Atkinson, a Moccasin Creek resident facing a voluntary manslaughter charge dating from 2023. He is being held at the county jail in lieu of $250,000 bond.
Atkinson was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter following the accidental discharge of a shotgun that left one man dead, but the charge was upgraded to voluntary manslaughter.