Decatur man sentenced in murder of missing woman on vacation

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Bornold Alastair Eberhart was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Kristen Laymon. (Photo: 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office) 

DECATUR, Ga. - A Decatur man is facing three decades behind bars after pleading guilty to the murder of a woman while the two were vacationing in South Carolina together in 2023. 
 

What we know:

Bornold Alastair Eberhart, 44, pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday morning and was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison, according to prosecutors. 

Timeline:

Eberhert left Georgia with Kristen Laymon of Duluth on Sept. 23, 2023, traveling to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a vacation at the Wyndham Hotel, prosecutors said.

Laymon had rented the room for the weekend. The two went out on their first night before returning to the hotel around 1:56 a.m. on Sept. 23.

Surveillance video showed Laymon and Eberhart arguing in their vehicle, and at one point, Laymon opens the door while the vehicle is still moving.

Laymon eventually gets out of the vehicle and rides the elevator up to her hotel room at 2:12 a.m. This is the last time Laymon is seen alive, according to the solicitor’s office.

Eberhart follows her up to the room about 10 minutes later.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, hotel camera footage shows Eberhart wearing a black hoodie and gloves, rolling Laymon’s body out of the hotel and putting her into the truck of his vehicle. Investigators later found Laymon’s blood in the trunk.

Authorities said Eberhart also texted Laymon’s phone several times after the murder, saying he had not seen her since the night before and claiming she had taken his vehicle.

Eberhart then traveled back to Georgia, where he disposed of Laymon’s body.

Eberhart was arrested on Mar. 8.

Georgia law enforcement later found Laymon’s body on Mar. 9, 2024, in the 1800 block of Whitehall Forest Court.

Laymon’s family reported her missing to the Duluth Police Department. 

What they're saying:

Prosecutors credited a multi-agency effort for resolving the case.

"The defendant in this case went to great lengths to cover up the murder of Ms. Laymon, but Detective McCarter, the North Myrtle Beach Police Department, and various Georgia Law Enforcement agencies left no stone unturned," DiChiara said. "We thank Law Enforcement for their relentless effort in bringing this defendant to justice."

What we don't know:

Prosecutors did not say how Laymon died.