On April 19, Tillman Freeman III received two death sentences for killing his two children, according to Hoke County District Attorney Mike Hardin. The sentences were handed down by a Hoke County jury following a protracted sentencing hearing.
On March 24, 2017, Freeman, 35, killed his 4-day-old daughter, Genesis, and his two-year-old daughter, Serenity, by stabbing them to death. Freeman drove the children from Fayetteville to a wooded area off Army Road in Hoke County and killed them. He then left the children in the car and walked away.
Freeman first told law enforcement officers he left the children with a drug dealer in Cumberland County. He later told officers he killed the children to punish his wife, whom he believed was cheating on him.
“I would like to thank the many officers from the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, Raeford City Police Department, The State Bureau of Investigation, and the Fayetteville Police Department that worked diligently to bring Mr. Freeman to justice,” said Hardin. “Additionally, we would like to give special thanks to the men and women of the Hoke County jury, that gave their time to this very important case, and helped bring closure to the mother of these children. This was an especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel killing of two innocent babies. The case was emotionally taxing for everyone involved. I hope now the family can find some peace.”
Photo of Tillman Freeman via Fayetteville Police Department.
