A grand jury has indicted Ashton Denver Stiwinter, 23, of Franklin, on one count of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the Jan. 1 death of Nathan Humphries.
The indictment was delivered Sept. 11 and Macon County Sheriff Brent Holbrooks said Stiwinter turned himself in Monday afternoon in Jackson County. He is being held at the Macon County Jail on a $150,000 secured bond.
Macon County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home on Stiwinter Mountain just before noon on Jan. 1. According to 911 calls and investigation reports, there was an argument and fight regarding a tree being cut down. According to the reports there were several people involved in the incident and the medical examiner’s report stated the fight continued until Humphries was unconscious.
The other men loaded Humphries into the bed of a truck and drove him down the mountain to meet EMS. “He was then taken out of the truck bed and laid onto the roadway, where CPR was started,” stated the medical examiner’s report.
When Cullasaja Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene, Humphries did not have a pulse and they started CPR.
The autopsy report listed Humphries’ cause of death as asphyxiation due to neck compression. According to the report, in addition to the neck compression injuries, Humphries’ body had blunt trauma to the head and lower extremities.
Humphries, 30, is survived by a wife and three children.
Stiwinter will have a 72-hour hearing on Sept. 13 and a court date of Oct. 30 has been set.