In the late summer of 2025, the community of Dalton, Georgia, was unsettled by the violent death of one of its own. William Henry Thompson II, a 53-year-old male, was found deceased on the morning of Tuesday, August 19th. His body was discovered in the front yard of a residence on New Zion Hill Road, the cause of his untimely death determined to be a gunshot wound.
The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, launched an immediate and thorough investigation into the homicide. Their efforts quickly led to the identification of a person of interest. The focus of their investigation soon centered on Terry Hill, who was named as the primary suspect in the shooting of Thompson.
Less than a day after the discovery of Thompson's body, law enforcement officers located Hill. Officers with the Chatsworth Police Department spotted his vehicle on Highway 411 in the neighboring Murray County and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. However, Hill chose to flee, leading officers on a brief but tense pursuit. The chase involved officers from the Chatsworth Police Department, the Murray County Sheriff's Office, and the Eton Police Department.
The pursuit came to an end when deputies from Whitfield County were able to successfully stop Hill's vehicle and take him into custody without further incident. Following his apprehension, Terry Hill was transported to the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. He was formally charged with the murder of William Henry Thompson II and is being held on that charge.
Details regarding a potential motive for the shooting or the nature of the relationship between William Thompson and Terry Hill have not been released by authorities. The investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter remains ongoing. As of the latest available information, further details on the progression of the legal case against Hill, including any future court dates or proceedings, have not been made public.
