In the small town of Santa Claus, Georgia, the festive spirit of the holiday season was shattered by a brutal act of violence that claimed the lives of four members of the Daniels family. On the morning of December 4, 1997, 47-year-old Danny Daniels, a male, was found shot to death in his home. His wife, Kim, and two of their children, 16-year-old Jessica and 8-year-old Bryant, were also found deceased, all victims of a shotgun attack as they slept. The family was known in the community for their generosity, having been foster parents to over a dozen children over the years.
The horrific discovery was made after three of the other children from the home were found abandoned but unharmed miles away. Their accounts led authorities to a suspect, 20-year-old Jerry Scott Heidler. Heidler was known to the Daniels family, as his sister had been a foster child in their care. It was revealed that Mr. Daniels had previously confronted Heidler about a developing relationship with his daughter, Jessica, which had led to Heidler no longer visiting the family's home.
Heidler was arrested approximately seven hours after the discovery of the bodies at a relative's house in the nearby town of Alma. Following his arrest, he was charged with four counts of malice murder, kidnapping, and burglary. Evidence collected at the scene, including a fingerprint on the bathroom window through which the assailant entered and DNA from a cigarette butt, linked Heidler to the crime. After his arrest, Heidler confessed to the killings and told investigators he had discarded the murder weapon, a Remington 1100 semi-automatic shotgun taken from the Daniels' gun cabinet, in a river. He also admitted to sexually assaulting one of the kidnapped girls.
In March 1998, a Toombs County grand jury indicted Heidler on multiple counts including murder, kidnapping, and child molestation. The prosecution sought the death penalty. During his trial, the jury heard testimony about how Heidler broke into the home and shot Danny and Kim Daniels as they slept, before killing their children Jessica and Bryant. He then abducted three of the young girls from the home, leaving two younger children behind. On September 2, 1999, the jury found Heidler guilty on all 11 counts. Two days later, he was sentenced to death for each of the four murders, in addition to two life sentences for kidnapping and sodomy, and another 110 years for the remaining charges.
