Left inset: Angel Thompson (Troup County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Nicole Alston (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/WAGA). Background: The corner of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road in Hogansville, Ga., where Angel Thompson allegedly dumped and set Nicole Alston’s body on fire (Google Maps)
A Georgia woman is facing a daunting 80-count indictment after allegedly murdering her girlfriend, whom she referred to as her “cash cow,” and subsequently dismembering her. The accused, Angel Thompson, reportedly attempted to conceal the crime by burning and scattering the remains of her partner, Nicole Alston, who had been trying to end the relationship.
Last week, Thompson was formally indicted in Fulton County Superior Court, more than six months following her initial arrest. The case dates back to 2007 when Alston’s dismembered body was discovered in various locations. She was just 24 years old at the time of her death.
According to court documents obtained by Law&Crime, the case was presented to a grand jury on February 24, following a probable cause determination in January. The charges against Thompson include murder, the removal of body parts from the scene of death, identity theft, insurance fraud, and numerous other offenses such as forgery, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence.
“This case involves what are just horrific facts,” said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis at a press conference last August announcing Thompson’s arrest.
It took nearly twenty years for local authorities to piece together the mystery of Alston’s death. The breakthrough came when sheriff’s deputies in Troup County discovered a suspiciously burning black bag at the intersection of Whitfield Road and Stitcher Road in Hogansville. Inside were Alston’s torso and other body parts.
“When they found her body, it was cut,” said a spokesperson, Willis.
“They discovered 13 pieces of her body, but identification was impossible at that time,” she explained to the press. “Even today, her hands, feet, and head remain missing, which has hindered identification efforts.”
The case was reviewed by local authorities in 2023, and DNA evidence was sent to Innovative Forensic Investigations in Virginia and Gene by Gene Laboratories in Texas for analysis. The results were handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) crime lab and in December 2023 authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Alston, who had moved to Georgia from Manhattan, New York, “to start her life,” according to Willis and Alston’s mother, Sylvia Austin.
“She came to Georgia with this person who told her she was going to help her,” Austin said during Willis’ presser. “Nicole said, ‘She’s going to help me. I’m going to be okay.’”
Alston was ultimately identified through an Ancestry.com search conducted by Austin’s sister. Thompson was arrested and charged with concealing Alston’s death in August 2023, but not for murder.
Police say that prior to Alston’s disappearance, she and Thompson were living together at 9100 Cascade Palmetto Highway. Things began to sour between the two of them, according to Austin and Willis, with Alston — who was allegedly the main provider in the relationship — telling her mom that Thompson allegedly became “abusive” toward her.
“She wanted to come home … but said she had it under control,” Willis told reporters. “That was her last phone call.”
Thompson was facing one count of malice murder and two counts of identity theft before her indictment last week. She allegedly killed Alston in a manner described as “homicidal violence by undetermined means,” according to local officials. She had outstanding warrants in New York at the time and was allegedly worried about moving back there, on top of possibly losing her main source of income — Alston, per Willis.
“This involves classic domestic violence, where the young lady was basically not going to allow both her lover — and I hate to say such a nasty term — but really ‘cash cow,’ the person that was bringing her money, to go,” Willis said. “And it ended tragically.”
Less than a month after killing Alston, Thompson allegedly began using her identity and tried to sell her car. She even rented out her apartment, according to Troup County Investigator Clay Bryant who spoke at the press conference announcing Thompson’s arrest.
“It’s beyond the pale of what it took to do this,” Bryant said. “It took a true sociopath.”
A Fulton County detective who spoke at the presser told reporters that after Alston’s body was found, Thompson was “already on dating websites, trying to meet people, rent the room, sell the car.” She allegedly opened email accounts and bank accounts in her name and also communicated with government agencies to steal her benefits.
“She did it very well and I believe did it alone,” the detective said. “Which is why it took so long to get where we are.”
Thompson is accused of raking in nearly $140,000 using Alston’s identity. This includes over $60,000 in Social Security, $17,000 in food stamps, and approximately $60,000 in HUD housing assistance. The fraud allegedly continued from the end of 2007 until Alston’s benefits stopped in March 2015 — a total of eight years.
“Immediately after this young lady went missing and we now know is deceased, the suspect was trying to recruit other victims,” Willis said. “We believe this ties directly to trafficking other women.”
Willis told reporters that in her 29 years in criminal law, she had never had a slaying like this come across her desk before.
“This is by far one of the top three most gruesome cases,” she concluded. “As her mother said, Nicole was taken advantage of … And she did not deserve this.”
Court records show that Thompson is being held at the Fulton County Jail. She does not have a future court date listed yet online.
