Suspect in Paighton Houston case served 20 years for rape, sodomy

JEFFERSON CO., Ala. (WBRC) - The man suspected of disposing of Paighton Houston’s body behind a vacant house in Hueytown has a criminal history including convictions of rape and sodomy.

Jefferson County Sheriff Deputies issued a warrant for Fredrick Hampton, 50, on charges of abuse of a corpse and violation of the Registered Sex Offender Notification Act.

During a news conference Thursday, Deputy Chief David Agee said Hampton was with Houston the night she was last seen.

“We have evidence the victim and offender were together the night of December 20, 2019.” said Deputy Chief Agee. “We have evidence the victim died the next day at a house on McClain Street in Brighton. We have evidence that after the victim died, her body was disposed of in a criminal manner by Fredrick Hampton.”

Houston’s cause and manner of death have not been determined but Deputy Chief Agee said, “no physical trauma of the body of the victim would have led to her death.”

READ: Authorities actively searching for registered sex offender in connection to Paighton Houston’s death

Hampton’s criminal record dates back to 1989 where at 20, he was found guilty of traffic violations and carrying a pistol without a permit.

Two years later, Hampton was arrested and charged with rape and sodomy. He was found guilty of rape and sodomy and sentenced to 20 years and 6 months in prison. According to the Alabama Department of Corrections, Hampton served 20 years, 5 months and 26 days and was released in March 2012.

Three months later, Hampton was arrested and charged with failure to register as a sex offender. In November, Hampton was given a two-year suspended sentence and put on probation. At the time of Houston’s death, Deputy Chief Agee said Hampton was current in his registration as required by the Sex Offender Notification Act.

Houston’s body was found buried in a shallow grave on Chapel Drive in Hueytown two weeks after she was reported missing. Deputy Chief Agee said Hampton was familiar with the area because, “it is quite possible and believed that [Hampton’s] relatives own that property where the body was disposed.”

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