Mars Hill Massacre: The Murders Of The Roberts Family.

The Mars Hill Murders

James Columbus, Mae Bell, Charlie L., Walter Mack, Eula Verlin, and Floy I. V. were all children born to Nancy Viola Tanner and Robert Newton Roberts.

James was the oldest being born on November 22nd, 1900. Next to be born was Mae on September 13th, 1902. Then came Charlie on November 1st, 1905. Followed by Walter on April 9th, 1907, Eula on April 24th, 1912 and then Floy on November 25th, 1915. They were all born in Cleburne County, Alabama.

Robert died on September 12th, 1956 and Nancy died on July 6th 1962 followed by Charlie who also died in 1962, but on September 16th.

In 1980, the rest of the siblings were all living in the same 100-year-old farm house in the Mars Hill Community of Celburne County Alabama. Mars Hill was a small, very rural community outside of Fruithurst.

At around 2 p.m. On January 3rd, 72-year-old Eula arrived at their home in the Mars Hill Community from a trip to Cedartown, Georgia. As she approached the front door, she noticed that the screen door was opened and the rug had been bunched up, propping the door open. She then walked into the house and entered the kitchen. Immediately she noticed that the kitchen drawers had been pulled out and the items were thrown to the ground. She had an awful feeling and decided to check on her family.

Eula's first stop was to check on 64-year-old bedridden Floy in her  bedroom. There she discovered Floy and 77-year-old Mae dead on the floor, laying side by side. They both had been shot by a .38 caliber pistol. Floy had evidence of being hit on the head at least twice. Floy still had a thimble on her thumb from sewing. Eula bravely went through the house and saw that there was still food in the oven, cooling down from lunch. She then checked Mack's room. The 72 year old man draped over the bed, still breathing, he had been shot five times with the same .38 caliber pistol his sisters were. Two shots were in the neck and face area. Eula then raced to 79-year-old James' room. James had advanced stage cancer and was bedridden. When she got to his room he was dead. He had been also been shot with a .38 caliber pistol. He was still in his bed and had been hit in the head, just as Floy was. Eula fled the home, jumped into her car, and raced to a nearby home where they called the police. 

Sadly, a little over 3 days later Mack would die as a result of his injuries.

Police quickly suspected that is was a robbery, but the only thing that was missing was a 50 year old trunk that only held around $1,500 and some clothing. However, local folklore stated that James kept his lifesaving's of well over $40,000 in that trunk. Many locals did not know was that the Robert's family had begun using a bank some years previous and did not keep much cash on them any longer. 

The trunk was found by hunters on Tuesday, December 28th, 1982 in woods three miles from the Roberts’ house. One of the Roberts brothers' suits were inside. Elua positively identified the truck. At the time she said that she hoped that the discovery of the trunk will help solve her sibilings' murders.

"I thought that they would never find the killers, but i also said that they would never find the trunk. You just keep hoping that something will turn up. It has been hard living all this time that whoever did this is still out there."

In 1986, U.S. Marshal Olbert Hiett confiscated a saw offed 12 gauge shotgun from his brother, Charles Hiett, at a family reunion. Olbert kept the gun locked up. Years later his brother and nephew were in jail on an unrelated arson charge. Charles contacted Olbert and asked him to get rid of the gun as it may be related to the Mars Hill Murders. Two of the three guns that were used during the murders were discovered in the possession of the Hiett family. For some reason they were unable to link the guns to any of the individuals that were questioned. Charles did get sentenced to two life terms in prison for lying to police and hindering their investigation.

Roy Harris and Carlton DeMoss allegedly had intimate knowledge of the crime. In 1984, DeMoss shot himself after telling his wife he had done a horrible act that he couldn't live with. Harris was said to have told anybody that would listen that someone was out to get him. In December of 1984, his body was found on the banks of the Tallapoosa River with a bullet in his skull.

With the alleged perpetrators dead, it is doubtful that the case will ever be solved.

On Thursday, February 2nd, 2006, Eula passed away at age 93 in her home on Cobb St. in Cedartown.