Nationwide — Robin Hatcher, a 52-year-old African American woman from Travis County, Texas, went missing in August 2019, and her body has never been recovered. Her boyfriend, Paul Ray Adams, was later convicted of her murder and tampering with her corpse, receiving a 72-year prison sentence.
Hatcher was last seen at her home in Austin, Texas, by her daughter Dominique, who reported her missing two weeks later. According to KVUE, she had grown concerned after not hearing from her mother and learning about Adams’ history of violence and drug use. Police records also revealed prior disputes between Hatcher and Adams, which raised further suspicion.
Adams, who was 37 years old at that time and had lived with Hatcher, initially told police that she had left him and that he hadn’t seen her since. Investigators soon uncovered that Adams had pawned Hatcher’s phone and used her EBT card days after she disappeared. When police followed him to Port Arthur, Texas, he gave inconsistent accounts of what happened.
In April 2020, Adams confessed to officers that he had asphyxiated Hatcher during an argument and placed her body in a dumpster. He admitted to using her phone and financial accounts after her death and said he feared being blamed for the killing. Authorities believe the murder occurred around August 13, 2019.
Nearly three years later, in March 2023, a Travis County jury convicted Adams of first-degree murder and second-degree tampering with a corpse. He was sentenced to 72 years in prison, with 52 years for murder and 20 years for tampering. Adams appealed the conviction, but his appeal was denied.