Woman attempted to use acid, alligators to dispose of husband's ex-girlfriend's body

Joel Shannon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Woman who used acid and gators to dispose of body, gets more time A woman from North Carolina has been found guilty of tampering with evidence after her and her husband used acid and alligators in an attempt to dispose of his ex-girlfriend’s body in 2011.

A North Carolina woman was found guilty of tampering with evidence for trying to use acid and alligators in 2011 to dispose of a murder victim's body, according to a Tuesday release from the district attorney's office in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Amanda Hayes and her husband Grant Hayes killed his ex-girlfriend — Laura Ackerson — in North Carolina, cut up the body and transported it to a family member's home in Richmond Texas, the release says.

There they attempted to use acid to dissolve the body. When that attempt failed, they dumped the body parts in an alligator-infested creek, hoping "alligators would eat her remains," the release says.

The couple was previously convicted of Ackerson's murder according to the release. Hayes' latest conviction adds an addition 20 years of prison time to the 13-16 year sentence she received for second degree murder.

The couple was involved in a custody dispute with Ackerson around the time of the murder, Raleigh NBC affiliate WRAL reported in 2011, citing family members.

In separate trials, the couple blamed each other for the murder, the station reports.

Hayes testified that she did not kill Ackerson and that she only helped dispose of the body because her husband threatened her, a release says. The jury disagreed and Hayes was given the maximum sentence for tampering with evidence by District Court Judge Maggie Jaramillo.

Parts of Ackerson's body were found in Oyster Creek, located in Richmond, Texas, over the course of several weeks in 2011.

Grant Hayes was given a life sentence for his involvement in Ackerson's murder, the Fort Bend County District Attorney's office says.

Contributing: Emily Reaux, KHOU-TV, Houston.