Dalton, Georgia, a suburban area, is famously referred to as the Carpet Capital of the World. The city is also linked with infamy due to the tragic shooting of Tara Swilley, aged 26, who was the daughter of a well-known businessman in Atlanta.

On August 2, 2004, Tara Swilley was tragically shot in the head while asleep at her parents’ home. She was sharing the bed with her husband, Scott Swilley, and their 7-month-old daughter, Jordan, when the incident occurred.

“Scott reported to officers that he was startled awake by the sound of gunshots and breaking glass,” said Jerry Scott, a former special agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, during “The Real Murders of Atlanta” episode called “Fatal Feud.” This show airs new episodes on Saturdays at 8/7c p.m. on Oxygen.

Not knowing where the barrage of bullets came from — and if more were coming — other family members huddled in another room. Scott frantically tried to wake up his wife, who was covered in blood and unresponsive. 

“Deputies cautiously enter the bedroom and find that Tara is lying on the bed in a pool of blood,” said former WVEE radio station news anchor Linda Looney. “They determine that she is deceased.” 

Cartridge casings found outside the home

Detectives determined the bullets came from outside the house. On the estate’s front lawn, more than 100 yards away from the room where Tara slept, investigators recovered 11 spent cartridge casings from a firearm later determined to be a high-powered SKS rifle.

Detectives learned that Tara, Scott, and their baby were visiting her parents and staying in their master bedroom. Her dad was out of town. Her mom chose to stay in the guest room. 

Investigators questioned if Tara was actually the intended target — or if she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. “We felt like the shooter knew that that was the master bedroom,” said Scott Chitwood, who at the time was the Whitfield County sheriff.

As such, it would be where Buddy and JoAnn would normally be sleeping.

“Buddy Parker was the self-proclaimed carpet king in the Atlanta area, and then got into real estate, investing in apartment buildings and housing complexes,” Looney said.

Investigators realized that Buddy, a high-flying businessman and influential community member since the 1970s, could have his fair share of ex-business partners, angry tenants, and dissatisfied customers.

JoAnn told officials she knew of no one who’d want to harm her and her husband. She also admitted that she had no inside knowledge of Buddy’s business dealings. 

Police search for leads in Tara Swilley’s murder

When Buddy arrived home from his trip, he made a shocking claim. “He said, ‘I know who did this,’” Kermit McManus, a former District Attorney for the Conasauga Judicial Circuit, told The Real Murders of Atlanta. 

Buddy told law enforcement about a festering family feud between him and Billie Bearden and his son, Rodney Bearden, and suggested that they could be responsible for the murder.

“He stated they were involved in the carpet business together, and for years, they socialized together,” said Jerry Scott. The families’ personal and professional bonds turned toxic after the ugly divorce of Buddy’s daughter, Tamela, and Billie’s son, Rodney. 

“My family had a lot of threats during the divorce,” said Tamela, adding that Rodney allegedly cut phone lines and pulled a gun on her. Buddy hired a private investigator to look into these incidents.

During a police interview, Rodney admitted it had been a very bitter divorce. He also said that during the proceedings, Buddy had sullied his name in the community, and he was very angry about that. 

But he insisted that he’d moved on from the divorce and remarried. Rodney said he was home dealing with a stomach virus at the time of the murder. His alibi checked out.

Detectives focused next on the patriarch, Billie, who readily confirmed bad blood between him and Buddy. “Speaking with Billie Bearden about Buddy, he had nothing but blind rage,” said private investigator Jeff Gallmon. 

However, Billie said he would never harm anyone in the Parker family and that he had nothing to do with the shooting. His alibi for his whereabouts during the shooting checked out. Billie and Rodney were cleared as suspects.

Jeffrey Hampton emerges in the case

Before investigators left the Bearden family’s property, the onsite handyman, Jeffrey Hampton, shared information with authorities. He gave them the name of Danny Foster, who lived in the area and had problems with Buddy.

“Hampton tells detectives that Danny Foster is not only an ex-con and a dope dealer, but he has a direct tie to the Parker family,” Looney said. “He had once worked for them, and they fired him, and he was angry about that.”

Investigators spoke with Foster, who acknowledged his fury about being terminated by Buddy. But Foster was shopping for groceries with his wife at the time of the shooting and had receipts to prove it. 

Store security footage further backed up his alibi. That put investigators back at square one. Then a call from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation cracked the case wide open.

It was determined that the firearm used in the fatal incident was sold at a flea market approximately six hours from Atlanta. Billie was the buyer. 

Detectives raced to speak with the Bearden patriarch. He explained that he did purchase the gun, but insisted it was not for him. It was for Hampton. 

“Bearden tells them that Jeff Hampton owns a lot of guns,” Looney said. He added that Hampton and Buddy had a contentious relationship because Buddy evicted him from an apartment. 

Questioned by police, Hampton told them he was moving items out of a storage unit all night long, well into the middle of the night, at the time of the shooting. His brother, Mark Hampton, was present during the interview, and he confirmed the story.

When asked about the SKS rifle, Hampton said he’d gotten rid of it “some time ago,” said Jerry Scott, adding that he gave police permission to search his property. 

While they didn’t find an SKS rifle, investigators did turn up shell casings that they gathered as evidence. Hampton claimed he didn’t know how the casings got there, McManus said. 

Around the same time, Mark Hampton admitted to police that he wasn’t with his brother during the time of the shooting. Mark added that on the day after the shooting, his brother had him drive past the Parker property “so he could see if he had actually killed anyone or not,” said Jerry Scott.

“At this point, Jeff Hampton was very quickly becoming the prime suspect,” said Gallmon. 

At the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta, the casings on Hampton’s property were compared to those found at the Parker crime scene and determined to match.

Jeffrey Hampton arrested and tried for murder

On August 12, investigators arrested Hampton for felony murder. At trial, prosecutors painted a picture for the jury of what they believe happened the night Tara was gunned down. 

They theorized that Hampton decided to shoot up Buddy’s house to send him an angry message. But that message turned deadly. Tara’s husband, Scott, was a key witness. He testified about the terror of the shooting.

Hampton was found guilty of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years.

To learn more about the case, watch the “Fatal Feud” episode of The Real Murders of Atlanta. The show airs new episodes on Saturdays at 8/7c p.m. on Oxygen.