Recovered; Aug 12, 2005

Eight months after he confessed to the 2004 murder of 24-year-old Tamika Huston, Christopher Hampton received a life sentence from a South Carolina judge on April 4, 2006. Tamika's case received national attention, including several airings on AMW, in part, because of her aunt's claims that missing minorities don't get as much media attention as missing whites. On Aug. 15, 2005 Hampton agreed to an interview with the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg.

He told a reporter during the interview at the Spartanburg County Jail that he was ironing clothes before work and threw a hot iron at Tamika and hit her in the head as they argued about money.

Hampton told the newspaper he panicked after killing Tamika and drove around with the body in a borrowed car for hours.

After sunrise, he buried her. "I told her I'm sorry," Hampton said. "The whole time I was hoping she would wake up. I didn't want to tell anybody because I didn't want people to think I was a killer. I ain't a killer. ... I don't want people to think bad of me," he told the newspaper.

He buried Huston in a wooded area in Duncan, marking the spot with a cross made from tree branches.

Hampton said he didn't want people to think he was a "monster."

"I don't want people to think bad of me - I'm a good person."

Huston and Hampton had dated for two or three months, he said. But another woman was bearing his child. Huston, he said, asked him for money but he refused, saying he was saving money so he could take care of his baby.

"She said, 'You care about the baby more than you care about me,'" Hampton said. "I just got mad - I just threw the iron," he said. "I didn't mean for it to hit her."

With the truth out, Hampton said he felt better and that he hopes Huston's family can one day forgive him.

"They wanted closure, I gave it to them," he said.

In March AMW reported Christopher Hampton's possible connection to the case, and received a tip about Hampton that backed up police's suspicions.

On Aug. 12, 2005 Spartanburg Public Safety charged Christopher Hampton with Tamika Huston's murder. Investigators say Hampton took them to a wooded area later that day where they found her remains.

The remains were found in a wooded area along Tyger River Road in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Public Safety Director Tony Fisher says "We're not sure why he decided to make this statement and bring us to the location. We're just thankful that he did."