In the summer of 2002, a quiet community in Walker County, Georgia, was shaken by the brutal killings of two brothers. Larry Phelps, a 62-year-old male, and his older brother, Arvine Phelps, aged 69, were spending their day clearing land at the Mountain Top Boys Home, a residence for teenagers with juvenile court histories. The brothers, both retired teachers and active members of their local churches, were known for their willingness to help others.
Their charitable work on July 22, 2002, took a tragic turn when they were confronted by a young man named Donnie Allen Hulett. Hulett, who was 21 at the time, robbed the brothers at point-blank range before shooting them. Not stopping there, he proceeded to beat both men about the head. The medical examiner would later determine that Arvine Phelps was shot multiple times and suffered severe blunt force trauma to his head. Larry Phelps was also shot and sustained a blunt force injury to the left side of his head before he died. After the vicious attack, Hulett stole Larry Phelps's pickup truck and fled the scene.
A manhunt for Donnie Allen Hulett ensued, and he was apprehended on August 2, 2002, in Casa Grande, Arizona. He was subsequently charged with the murders of Larry and Arvine Phelps. In 2004, a Walker County Superior Court judge sentenced Hulett to death for his crimes. Hulett remained on death row until October 1, 2017, when he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison in Jackson. His death was investigated as an apparent suicide.
