Convicted Murderer Stabbed to Death in Central State Prison
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Central State Prison inmate Hollis Bryant, who was serving a 30-year prison sentence for the 2019 murder of Brandon Colson, died at the Atrium Trauma Center at 1:29 a.m. on Sunday, December 17, after being stabbed multiple times in the prison. Authorities say that Bryant was stabbed multiple times at the facility, but the name of the attacker was not released. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations and Georgia Department of Corrections are currently investigating the incident.
Bryant was charged with the murder of Brandon Colson, 24, of Lyons, who was reported missing on October 4. 2019. On October 24, 2019, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, the Lyons Police Department, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency located a hastily made grave in a wooded area in the Ponderosa Community of Toombs County. Authorities located the grave through information gathered during interviews and probes conducted by the Lyons Police Department and GBI. Upon the discovery, warrants were issued to search Bryant’s residence at 148 Ponderosa Road and to utilize cadaver dogs to survey the area.
The dogs led authorities to Colson’s human remains, and Bryant, who was 24 years-old at the time of the murder, was arrested and charged with multiple counts related to the homicide alongside Israel Timothy Williams, who was 19 years-old at the time of the crime.
Bryant pled guilty to the crime and requested that his sentencing be expedited. During the court session in which Bryant was sentenced, GBI Special Agent Craig Pittman was placed on the witness stand and gave a grizzly account of the details that led up to Colson’s death and the discovery of his remains.
According to the agent, the GBI was asked by the Lyons Police Department to become involved with the case around October 4, when Colson was still considered a missing person. That investigation led to interviews with Bryant, his wife and others. Based on those interviews, a search warrant was executed at Bryant’s home in Ponderosa.
“We were able to locate the pit or make-shift grave that had been covered over with (cut-down) pine trees,” Pittman testified. “The cadaver dogs walked over the area and alerted on that specific area. During that time, I talked with Mr. Bryant's wife and asked her where Mr. Bryant and Mr. Williams were on October 4. Mr. Bryant and Mr. Williams later said they took Mr. Colson out in the woods near the residence and shot him with (a) shotgun.”
Both Bryant and Williams gave statements to the GBI that they were involved with Colson’s death, according to Pittman. District Attorney Altman asked the agent while he was on the witness stand if the men had given a motive for the shooting, to which he replied, “Mr. Bryant was having some money problems and he had (retrieved) $200 off of the body of Mr. Colson and gave it to his (Bryant’s) wife. He also gave Mr. Williams some money. Mr. Williams had allowed Mr. Colson to borrow some money so that he (could) get a rental trailer and turn on some lights and he was trying to help him out.”
Agent Pittman said, “Both Williams and Bryant admitted to digging the hole and putting the body in there. Also, they both admitted to burning the body and the shotgun shells that were used.” Pittman said Bryant and Williams freely gave their statements to law enforcement after being read their Miranda Rights.
Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tripp Fitzner explained that Bryant received a lesser sentence in part because of his negotiated plea that was conducted in a brief hearing. During William’s trial over several days the admission of additional evidence and resulted in a harsher sentence.
