Allison Ericson, Valdosta Today News Director:
FITZGERALD — On Tuesday, Jan. 13, Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office investigators began their investigation on 22-year-old, John Asher Farrell-Villarreal. The Sheriff’s Office received a call from a woman claiming that Farrell-Villarreal came to her house looking for her 17-year-old daughter.
Farrell-Villarreal hitchhiked close to 300 miles from Travelers Rest, South Carolina on Dec. 24 to see the teen. The two met on Facebook in September and by December had become increasingly close.
In an interview with WALB, Captain Lee Cone with Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office said, “This is a perfect example of what we got to watch out for, because they did not know each other until this.”
Farrell-Villarreal was picked up by Marie Fowler and James Crowder in Anderson County, South Carolina. The two pulled over to let him use the restroom when Farrell-Villarreal shot both of them and stole their vehicle. Fowler was killed and Crowder suffered from critical injuries.
When he arrived at the teen’s home, her mother asked him to leave. In a WALB report the mother said he responded with, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way…I’ll wait 5 minutes in the front for you.”
Once she called the police, Farrell-Villarreal returned to South Carolina, five days later he came back to Fitzgerald.
Farrell-Villarreal was waiting outside of the teen’s home when her mother arrived home from work. He took off but the mother followed him for 5 to 6 minutes before she lost him. The next day deputies found him in South Carolina and arrested him.
Farrell-Villarreal was taken to jail, denied bond, and was charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, Carjacking and Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime.
In a News10 abc interview, Farrell-Villarreal said,”I want to say that I’m sorry this situation exists, and I want to say I hope we can resolve this situation in court, and I would like to have a different ending to this than my death because I don’t like this situation. I’m just going to say that.”
