Escaped inmate charged with murder in connection with disappearance of Victor Birchfield

A Johnson County Grand Jury indicted Billy Fletcher on a murder charge in connection with the disappearance of Victor Birchfield.

Fletcher, 43, of Butler, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree murder during the commission of a felony, abuse of a corpse, and theft over $2,500 by a Johnson County Grand Jury on Friday morning. Officers with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office served the indictment on Fletcher at the Carter County Detention Center, where Fletcher remains held following his recapture in South Carolina. Fletcher’s bond on the Johnson County indictment was set at $1 Million and he is scheduled to be arraigned in Johnson County on August 9.

“The investigation remains ongoing at this time and additional charges are pending,” said Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Shawn Brown. “This investigation remains a collaboration between the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.”

On June 20, 2024, Billy Fletcher, 43 of Butler, walked off from his work detail at the Carter County Detention Center shortly after 7 a.m. Fletcher was serving a three-year sentence on a violation of probation conviction. On June 21, a woman reported to the CCSO that her father, 61-year-old Victor Birchfield, had been missing since June 19.

While initially there was no evidence linking Birchfield’s disappearance with the escape of Fletcher, during the course of the investigation detectives uncovered evidence that showed the two cases were connected. It is believed that Fletcher came in contact with Birchfield after walking away from his work detail.

Birchfield’s vehicle, which had also been missing, was later located in South Carolina. Fletcher was captured by law enforcement officers in South Carolina on July 4 and he was extradited to Carter County and charged with escape.

“Fletcher will resume serving his three-year sentence for violation of probation while he goes through court proceedings for the escape charge from Carter County and now also the murder charge out of Johnson County,” Carter County Sheriff Mike Fraley said.

Fletcher is being held without bond at the Carter County Detention Center until the remainder of his unexpired sentence is completed.

After returning to Carter County, Fletcher spoke with investigators and provided information that led to the recovery of human remains in the Butler community of Johnson County on July 6. The remains were sent to the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center for autopsy and positive identification, but it is believed that the remains are those of Birchfield.

The investigation is ongoing at this time and additional information will be released at a later time.

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