Nationwide — Angel Marie Thompson, a woman from Fulton County, Georgia, faces 80 criminal charges for allegedly killing her girlfriend and living under her identity for years. Authorities say she abused Nicole Alston, murdered her, and used her identity to collect benefits for nearly a decade.
Thompson was indicted Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court. The charges include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death, and dozens of counts of fraud and identity theft. She was arrested in August 2024 after authorities learned she had hidden Alston’s death, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
The case traces back to December 6, 2007, when deputies in Troup County discovered a burning black bag with partially burned human remains at the corner of Whitfield and Stitcher roads. Hands, feet, and the head were missing, leaving investigators unable to identify the victim for years.
In December 2023, DNA confirmed the remains belonged to 24-year-old Nicole Alston, who had moved from Atlanta to Manhattan to live with Thompson in 2007. At the time, Thompson was wanted in New York for theft and identity fraud.
Authorities say Thompson killed Alston because she wanted to return to New York, but Thompson feared losing financial support tied to Alston’s identity. Over eight years, she allegedly collected roughly $200,000 through Social Security, food stamps, and Section 8 housing under Alston’s name. In 2015, the Social Security Administration contacted her to requalify, and she returned to using her own identity.
Warrants describe Alston’s death as caused by “violence to her throat or head.” Most of the alleged crimes occurred in Fulton County, which now oversees the case. Former Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis called it one of the most gruesome cases in her 29-year career.
Alston’s mother, Sylvia Austin, said she never stopped searching for her daughter. “She didn’t deserve this, and I wish I’d never let her come to Georgia,” Austin said. Thompson remains in Fulton County Jail as her case proceeds through the courts.