In mid-October, a man called police in eastern Tennessee claiming a bear had chased him off a cliff. But authorities arrived on the scene to find the body of a different man, sparking a multistate manhunt for the caller that ended with his arrest on murder charges this weekend.

Authorities say Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, befriended and lured his victim into a wooded area to take both his life and identity. Hamlett, who was using an alias at the time, has a lengthy criminal history and was already wanted in Alabama for parole violation.

After the October incident, another warrant was issued for Hamlett’s arrest on first-degree murder charges in Monroe County, Tenn.
State and federal authorities warned that Hamlett, whom they considered dangerous and potentially armed, was known to travel under aliases. They urged Hamlett to turn himself in, and asked the public for help: The U.S. Marshals Service offered up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest.