Unsolved Huddle House murder to get national exposure on ‘Most Wanted’

One of North Augusta's highest-profile crimes is on the verge of getting national exposure more than five years after an intense outburst that resulted in a homicide, two non-fatal shootings and a carjacking, all in the vicinity of the Burger King and Huddle House restaurants on U.S. 25, near I-20.

"America's Most Wanted" will revisit the Nov. 22, 2005, crime and its aftermath at 9 p.m. Saturday on Fox 54 of Augusta.

Lt. Tim Thornton, spokesman for the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, noted that his agency "chose to partner with a national crime-fighting show over a year ago because of their proven track record of more than 1,100 captures."

Thornton's report noted that the crime spree began with an unidentified white male who, "in a desperate move to get a car, first shot and wounded Constance Davidson in a failed attempt" at the Burger King drive-through.

The gunman then failed again after he shot both the Rev. Earl Carter and Bill Powell - killing Powell - as the men met to gather with other friends in the adjacent Huddle House.

The attacker finally took a car driven by Ida Mae Heath, who was unhurt.

"The immediate and intensive search of the area did not locate the stolen Oldsmobile nor the unknown shooter. Within five hours of the shooting, Ida Mae Heath's car was discovered at the Sleep Inn Hotel, which was less than a half-mile away from the Huddle House. An NADPS investigation revealed that the stolen car had traveled about 300 miles since the incident. Detectives remained baffled that someone who so frantically wanted to leave the area would return to the scene of the crime so soon afterward and return the vehicle he was willing to kill for," according to Thornton's report.

Information on the case is at www.amw.com, which also includes the option of emailing relevant information.

If you have information about this case, call (800) CRIME-TV.

Callers can remain anonymous and will speak with "AMW hotline operators, not law enforcement," as noted in a promotional announcement.

"We know that the guy is still out there somewhere, and we don't know what his next move is going to be," said AMW correspondent Angeline Hartmann, who visited North Augusta to gather material for Saturday's program. "We know that there's a good composite, and somebody out there can help us identify him and could put cops on the right track."