Man Accused of Concealing Deceased Girlfriend in Suitcase and Purchasing Lottery Tickets

In Georgia, a man confessed to the violent killing of his girlfriend, claiming she provoked him by using offensive language. The incident escalated to a brutal beating and strangulation, after which he wrapped her body in a comforter and concealed it inside a suitcase. Shockingly, he proceeded to go about his day, heading to work and purchasing lottery tickets, as reported by prosecutors.

The man, identified as Frederick Durham from Upson County, was recently found guilty on several charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and concealing the death of another, according to the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Durham has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the October 2023 murder of his girlfriend, Margaret Dubinion.

According to a statement from the DA’s office, the tragic event unfolded at Dubinion’s residence in Thomaston, where she lived with Durham. In his confession, Durham alleged that Dubinion’s repeated use of vulgar language towards him sparked his violent reaction. He admitted to pinning her down and striking her repeatedly.

The assault left Dubinion with severe injuries, including brain bleeding, swollen eyes, fractured ribs, and cervical bone damage. Following the attack, Durham strangled her and placed her body into a suitcase, as detailed by the DA’s office.

Prosecutors revealed that after stuffing the suitcase into a closet, Durham continued his routine, driving the victim’s car to work and purchasing lottery tickets before heading to Atlanta. Although he claimed uncertainty about Dubinion’s condition when he packed her into the suitcase, he refused to provide closure to her family regarding this detail.

Dubinion’s relatives had been the ones who first notified police after she disappeared on a Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. A welfare check was conducted that night at the home where she was living with Durham, and neither she nor Durham were present.

The family went over to the couple’s apartment and found Dubinion stowed in the closet the following morning.

“This defendant had a malignant and abandoned heart,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Audrey D. Holliday said in a statement after Durham’s conviction. “He left Ms. Dubinion in a suitcase and refused to give this family an answer on whether she was alive or dead when he did so. I am grateful the family helped us bring Frederick Durham to justice by their persistence in searching for Ms. Dubinion and by testifying against the Defendant.”

Holliday added, “This was an evil act from a person who had no compassion for this family.”