Carter County man accused of murder after jail escape appears in court

The man accused of walking off work detail in Carter County and killing a man afterward appeared in court Tuesday. Billy Fletcher was arraigned and given a new case number to resolve an issue that had charged him with escape twice. Fletcher kept the same public defender and faces multiple charges including first degree murder and escape. He was charged with escape twice, and one of those escape charges was dropped. He pleaded not guilty and is due in Carter County Criminal Court again on March 17, 2025 for a status update. He is also set to appear in Johnson County court on December 13 for charges he faces there.