Georgia man threatened to cut witness up in pieces, prosecutors say

Prosecutors have added more charges for a Hall County man who allegedly told a witness in a case against him he would cut her up into pieces.

Russell Olin Layton, 52, was already accused of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and misdemeanor battery related to family violence in a 2016 incident, according to Hall County court records. Layton has pleaded not guilty on those charges.

On Monday, a grand jury returned indictments on charges of aggravated stalking, influencing a witness and two counts of terroristic threats.

Layton is accused of calling and texting a witness in his case between April and May 2017 “for the purpose of harassing and intimidating” her, the jury charged.

He allegedly threatened to “cut the witness up in pieces and place her on the front porch” of his defense attorney’s house if she didn’t agree to meet with his attorney and recant her claims.

The jury also charged that Layton used a burning pentagram to terrorize the witness.

In other news:

Neighbors spotted the flames and called 911.

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