Alabama man admits to corpse abuse after missing woman found dead in shallow grave

Published 9:34 am Wednesday, August 30, 2023

An Alabama man has pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse after police alleged he buried a woman’s body in a shallow grave after the woman accidentally overdosed on drugs.

Fredrick Hampton, 53, admitted to the charge just as his trial was set to begin.

Hampton was accused of burying the body of Paighton Houston, 29, who went missing in December 2019 after leaving a Birmingham bar.

Houston’s body was found in a shallow grave behind a house in Hueytown that belongs to relatives of Hampton.

In exchange for his guilty plea, Hampton was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but will only serve three years followed by five years of probation.

Investigators believe Hampton was with Houston when they left Birmingham’s Tin Roof bar.

Forensic investigators said she died of an accidental overdose of morphine and methamphetamine.