In May of 1990, the life of Michael A. Whisnant, a 32-year-old male quality control engineer from Shelby, North Carolina, was tragically cut short in Atlanta, Georgia. He was in the city for an electronics seminar. His body was discovered on May 16, 1990, under a bed in his room at the Atlanta Hilton, having been strangled with a cord and left handcuffed.
The investigation into Whisnant's death quickly led to a suspect, Henry Eugene Hodges.
It was revealed that Hodges, a former sex worker, had met Whisnant at a gay bar. The two had made arrangements to engage in homosexual acts for a fee of $75. An altercation arose in Hodges' hotel room when Whisnant was only able to pay $25. This dispute escalated, leading Hodges to handcuff Whisnant and fatally strangle him with a curtain cord.
Two days after the murder, on May 18, 1990, Henry Eugene Hodges was arrested in Shelby, North Carolina. He was apprehended alongside his 15-year-old companion, Trina Brown. At the time of his arrest, authorities found a. 22-caliber handgun and jewelry that connected him to another slaying in Nashville.
Following his arrest, Hodges confessed to the murder of Michael Whisnant. His confession did not stop there, as he admitted to killing at least seven other men between 1988 and 1990. For the murder of Michael Whisnant, Hodges pleaded guilty in Fulton County Superior Court on July 31, 1990, and received a life sentence. He also faced trials for the other murders he confessed to, ultimately being sentenced to death in Tennessee for one of them.
