In the summer of 2002, a quiet corner of Walker, Georgia, was shattered by a senseless act of violence that claimed the lives of two beloved brothers. Arvine Phelps, a 69-year-old male, and his brother, Larry Phelps, were volunteering their time on July 22nd, clearing trees for a new building at the Mountain Top Boys Home. The retired educators were known in their community for their kindness and willingness to help others, making the tragic events of that day all the more shocking.
Their work was brutally interrupted by a man named Donnie Allen Hulett. From a hidden position on a hill, Hulett opened fire on the unsuspecting brothers with a high-powered rifle, shooting Arvine multiple times. As Larry rushed to his brother's aid, he too was shot by Hulett. The assailant then descended the hill and subjected both injured men to a savage beating with a blunt object before robbing them and fleeing the scene in Larry's pickup truck.
The subsequent investigation quickly identified Donnie Allen Hulett as the prime suspect, leading to a manhunt that ended with his arrest in Casa Grande, Arizona, on August 2, 2002. Hulett, who was 21 at the time of the murders, was charged with two counts of malice murder, among other related crimes. The evidence against him was overwhelming, including fingerprints found on a vehicle he had abandoned near the crime scene.
In 2004, a Walker County jury found Donnie Allen Hulett guilty of the murders of Arvine and Larry Phelps. Following the conviction, a judge sentenced him to death for his heinous crimes. Hulett remained on death row for over a decade, his case winding its way through the appeals process. However, his sentence would not be carried out by the state. On October 1, 2017, Donnie Hulett was found unresponsive in his cell at the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison. His death was investigated as an apparent suicide, bringing a final, somber end to the tragic story of the Phelps brothers' murders.
