Murder suspect admits shooting, but claims self defense

Aarik Long, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·2 min read

May 18—The 21-year-old suspect at the center of a murder investigation made an early attempt to claim self defense after admitting to investigators he had pulled the trigger, according to court documents.

Dillard Thomas Hooper was charged with the murder of 45-year-old Jason Abram Caldwell after a shooting in Waynesville Monday night. Hooper was allegedly seeing Caldwell's daughter and was at the family's home when some sort of verbal altercation broke out, according to police reports.

In a court hearing Thursday, Hooper's attorneys argued that the shooting was in self-defense.

Prosectutors, however, said claims of self-defense were "legally insufficient," according to court documents.

Prosecutors claimed there was "no evidence of a physical fight prior to the killing" and that Hooper "told the decedent to shut up just prior to the shooting," according to court documents.

The state also pointed out that the homicide happened in Caldwell's own home and that Caldwell was unarmed.

The subject of the hearing was to determine whether Hooper should be granted bond. In his initial court appearance Tuesday, Hooper was initially given no bond, but was revisited in court Thursday.

Hooper's attorneys claimed he was in lawful possession of the firearm and was not a flight risk.

However, prosecutors claimed that Hooper is a danger to others, has "insufficient ties to Haywood County" and is a flight risk to Mexico, according to court documents.

Hooper was granted a $3 million bond. If he manages to make the $3 million bond, part of the conditions are that Hooper cannot have contact with the victim's family, will surrender any passports, possess no firearms and cannot leave Haywood County.

Hooper is being represented by Assistant Public Defenders James Rice and Karla Wood.

Waynesville Assistant Police Chief Brandon Gilmore confirmed that a .22-caliber firearm was used in the homicide. He also confirmed that other firearms had been seized that night.

The additional firearms were seized from a vehicle, not from inside the home.

"They had no real tie to the shooting, in regards to those weapons," Gilmore said.

Hooper remains in the Haywood County Detention Center, as of Friday afternoon.