Angel Thompson has been indicted on 80 counts in Fulton County Superior Court for the 2007 killing and dismemberment of her girlfriend, Nicole Alston. Authorities allege Thompson chopped Alston's body into 13 pieces, burned parts of it, and then assumed her identity for years to commit fraud. The case, unsolved for nearly two decades, was cracked through DNA analysis in 2023.
In 2007, Troup County sheriff's deputies discovered a suspicious black bag on fire at the corner of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road in Hogansville, Georgia. Inside were the torso and other remains of Nicole Alston, 24, who had moved from Manhattan, New York, to start a new life. The body had been cut into 13 pieces, but identification proved impossible at the time because the hands, feet, and head were missing, according to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Alston and Angel Thompson had been living together at 9100 Cascade Palmetto Highway. Alston, described as the primary provider in the relationship, reportedly faced abuse from Thompson and expressed a desire to return home during her last phone call to her mother, Sylvia Austin. "She wanted to come home … but said she had it under control," Willis recounted. Authorities believe Thompson killed Alston through "homicidal violence by undetermined means," motivated by fear of losing her source of income and outstanding warrants in New York.
Following the killing, Thompson allegedly sold Alston's car, rented out her apartment, and assumed her identity. This included opening email and bank accounts, communicating with government agencies, and collecting benefits. Over eight years, from late 2007 to March 2015, Thompson is accused of obtaining nearly $140,000, comprising over $60,000 in Social Security payments, $17,000 in food stamps, and about $60,000 in HUD housing assistance. A Fulton County detective noted that Thompson "did it very well and I believe did it alone," which delayed the investigation.
The case gained traction in 2023 when DNA from the remains was analyzed by Innovative Forensic Investigations in Virginia and Gene by Gene Laboratories in Texas, then confirmed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Alston's identity was further linked through an Ancestry.com search by Austin's sister. Thompson was arrested in August 2023 initially for concealing the death and faced additional charges before the February 24 grand jury indictment on murder, dismemberment, identity theft, insurance fraud, forgery, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and tampering with evidence.
Willis described the incident as "classic domestic violence," calling Alston a "cash cow" to Thompson. Troup County Investigator Clay Bryant called it the work of a "true sociopath." Willis also suggested ties to trafficking other women, noting in her 29 years of experience, this ranked among the top three most gruesome cases. Thompson is held at Fulton County Jail without a listed future court date.
