Hitchhiker shots Two People along I-85 in Anderson Co.

Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said a hitchhiker shot two people who were found on the side of I-85 on Christmas Eve. One of those victims died from her wounds. The other is in critical condition. 22-year-old John Asher Farrell Villarreal of Travelers Rest was arrested Tuesday and is now charged with murder, attempted murder, carjacking and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. Sheriff Skipper said James Jerry Dobson II and Mary Marie Fowler picked up Villarreal on the side of the road and agreed to take him to the Georgia state line for $25. During the ride, Villarreal asked the couple to pull over to the side of I-85 between mile-marker 16 and 17. That is where he pulled out a gun, shot Dobson and Fowler in the backs of their heads and dumped them on the side of the interstate. An Anderson County deputy stopped the stolen car in Belton on Tuesday and arrested Villarreal.