Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
This episode examines the 1980 Thanksgiving morning killing of 34-year-old North Carolina game warden Lloyd Mays in Northampton County, and the subsequent legal battle surrounding the Faison brothers. After stopping Samuel and Chester Faison for illegal night deer hunting, known as jack lighting, an altercation broke out that left Mays dead from a shotgun wound and Chester dead from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Samuel fled the scene with his dead brother in the car, hid Mays' body and firearm, and was later captured after a high-speed car chase in Virginia. Although Samuel was tried and acquitted of murder in May 1981 after testifying that Chester fired the fatal shot, he later pleaded guilty to concealment of a felony in 1983 following a 14-month extradition battle.
The episode opens with a commercial for SimpliSafe followed by the host’s greeting to park enthusiasts.
Game warden Lloyd Mays goes missing during a pre‑shift meeting and is later found dead.
Officials locate Mays’ vehicle and body, noting evidence of a struggle and possible dragging.
Samuel and Chester Faison are apprehended after a high‑speed chase and found with gunshot wounds.
Lloyd’s death prompts changes in wildlife enforcement policies and reflects on the case’s legacy.
Missing Game Warden Discoveredstory
On Thanksgiving morning in 1980, fellow officers realized game warden Lloyd Mays was missing, prompting a search that led to his body hidden in the brush near a rural roadway in Northampton County.
The Jack Lighting Stopinsight
The sheriff explained that Mays had stopped the Faison brothers around 4:00 a.m. for jack lighting deer, an illegal practice of shining a light to freeze animals before shooting them.
Recovery of Stashed Evidencestory
Authorities located Mays' revolver in the woods 600 feet from his body, and his badge, billfold, shirt, and shotgun submerged in Corwell's Mill Pond after Samuel disclosed their locations.
Inconclusive Physical Evidencedata
An NCSBI chemist testified that gunshot residue swabs taken from Samuel's hands were inconclusive, leaving the prosecution with zero physical evidence connecting Samuel directly to the shooting.
Defendant Takes the Standstory
Samuel testified for three hours, claiming that Chester was the aggressor who grabbed the shotgun and fired the fatal blast at Mays after a physical altercation.
After a nine-day trial and instructions limiting charges due to modified prosecution tactics, jurors deliberated for just over an hour and found Samuel not guilty of second-degree murder charges.
Second Indictment and Extraditioninsight
In August 1981, a grand jury indicted Samuel on eight additional charges, leading to a 14-month extradition battle in Virginia where Samuel argued double jeopardy.
“When an intruder approaches a home, they expect a camera.”
“If you care about the stories behind the headlines and the victims at the center of them, you'll want to check out Crime Junkie.”
“The updated policy also stated that officers would now wear bulletproof vests, carry better flashlights, and arm themselves with a shotgun.”
“He told UPI that after the incident on Thanksgiving Day, 1980, he'd never gone hunting in the woods again.”
When a quiet Thanksgiving Day morning is shattered by the senseless murder of a wildlife resources officer, the question isn’t what happened, it’s which of two brothers actually pulled the trigger?
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