Admitted murderer Fredrick P. Hammer has demanded a jury trial in response to a wrongful death lawsuit that was filed against him by David Blevins, father of murdered Crumpler man Jimmy Blevins.

The civil suit against Hammer was filed this August at the Ashe County Courthouse and seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $10,000 each. David Blevins’ attorney, David Jolly of Crumpler, is taken the case pro bono along with Comerford & Britt, L.L.P of Winston-Salem. He explained that the purpose of the lawsuit is to prevent Hammer from profiting from his crime as outlined under the state’s “slayer statue.”

In late July, Hammer confessed to murdering Blevins and told authorities where he had hidden the body in the Clifton community. Hammer disclosed Blevins’ whereabouts under a deal he hatched out with local authorities that removed the possibility of him receiving the death penalty for his crime. He also requested to be relocated to a prison he felt was closer to home. Hammer is currently behind bars at Wallens Ridge Correctional Center in Big Stone Gap, VA.

Perhaps Hammer’s most audacious request occurred when he asked that the reward money being offered for information leading to Blevins’ whereabouts to be placed in a trust fund for his step-granddaughter. Local authorities said that the Blevins family agreed to his request in the hopes of recovering Jimmy’s body.

“Freddie P basically extorted $15,000 out of that family to give up the location of their son’s grave,” Jolly stated in August. “They had to make a deal with the devil and we have to undo that. We wanted to do this (file a lawsuit) when the time was right and we will do whatever is necessary to get the money back.”

Within his answer to the filed civil suit, Hammer denies certain allegations outlined in the facts section of the lawsuit including his involvement in the murders of Ronald and Fred Hudler and John Steven Miller in January of 2008 on a Grassy Creek tree farm. He also denied the allegations that he agreed to talk to Ashe County authorities about the murder of Jimmy Blevins and location of the body, which hinged on certain conditions, including prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. Hammer subsequently denied allegations stated in the facts section concerning how he disposed of the body.

He denied these facts even though he admitted to the triple murder in May of this year and eventually told Ashe County authorities where they could find Blevins’ remains.

It is unclear why Hammer would deny these facts. It also baffles Jolly.

“As we are saying with this case, we are dealing with Hannibal Lecter,” Jolly said. “Who knows what is going through his mind.”

Jolly said that his main objective in the suit is making sure the family is rightfully returned the $15,000 that was offered as the reward money. He also said he wants to ensure that Hammer can never profit from his crime such as in the form of a movie or book. Hammer has already mentioned hiring a famous author to ghost write a book on the Grassy Creek triple murders.

In most civil cases, Jolly explained, a judge will usually move that the matter goes to mandatory mediation which has been suspended because Hammer is a prisoner, although he still retains his civil rights.

It is still uncertain how a trial would materialize considering Hammer is incarcerated in Virginia for the triple murder.

William Woodruff, a professor of Law at Campbell University, said that it is likely that the civil suit against Hammer would go forward in North Carolina without his physical presence. Hammer could be represented through counsel although he does not have an attorney at this time.

Associate Professor of Law, Eric Fink of Elon University, said that Virginia authorities would have to honor a North Carolina court summons in the civil matter, although court officials would have to work with prison officials in coordinating an extradition.

A North Carolina judge has scheduled the case for this spring’s civil court calendar.

NOTE: Clifford Britt of Comerford & Britt is no stranger to this type of civil suit. In recent years, Jolly said, Britt took a civil case for the family of a slain Winston-Salem police officer.