Grand jury indicts Tolson for second-degree murder of Kitty Hawk resident LeeAnn Fletcher
A Dare County grand jury on Monday indicted John Curtis “Jay” Tolson, a Hatteras Island resident, with second-degree murder in the July death of Kitty Hawk resident, LeeAnn Fletcher.
The following statement was released by First Judicial District Attorney Andrew Womble:
“On Monday, October 26, 2020 the Dare County Grand Jury returned a true bill of indictment charging John Curtis Tolson with one count of second-degree murder in the death of LeeAnn Fletcher. Mr. Tolson was served with the arrest warrant and taken into custody by the Bangor Police Department in Bangor, Maine without incident. Our next session of superior court in Dare County is scheduled for November 30, 2020.”
Amanda LeeAnn Fletcher Hartleben, a native of the Outer Banks, was found unconscious in her Kitty Hawk home on July 22. The 38-year-old had last been seen with Tolson, according to police.
Per OBX Today, at the time, Kitty Hawk police said they were looking for Tolson as a “person of interest” in a “possible assault.” Investigators later located and interviewed Tolson, but no charges were placed. On July 25, Hartleben died at a hospital in Virginia. An autopsy showed she died of blunt force trauma to the head.
The case caused some unrest in the community, with many questioning why there had been no arrest. Police and Womble’s office first said they were awaiting the results of the autopsy, then requested the aid of the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation.
