Woman convicted of trying to feed murder victim's body to alligators in Fort Bend County

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Amanda Perry Hayes, 46, was convicted of helping her husband dispose of his ex-girlfriend's dismembered body, first trying to dissolve it in acid, then throwing it into an alligator-infested Fort Bend County creek.

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Amanda Perry Hayes, 46, was convicted of helping her husband dispose of his ex-girlfriend's dismembered body, first trying to dissolve it in acid, then throwing it into an ... more Photo: Fort Bend County Jail Photo: Fort Bend County Jail Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Woman convicted of trying to feed murder victim's body to alligators in Fort Bend County 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

Already convicted of murder, a North Carolina woman was convicted this week of helping her husband dispose of his ex-girlfriend's dismembered body, first trying to dissolve it in acid, then throwing it into an alligator-infested Fort Bend County creek.

Both attempts to hide the body failed, the Fort Bend County District Attorney's office said Friday. Investigators found the torso and lower leg of Laura Ackerson floating in Oyster Creek in Richmond on July 24, 2011. More of Ackerson's remains were later found by dive teams.

Ackerson was murdered by Grant Hayes and Amanda Perry Hayes in the couple's Raleigh, North Carolina apartment in 2011, the DA's office said.

Ackerson was last known to be going to the Hayes home to retrieve two young children she shared with Grant Hayes.

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The couple murdered Ackerson, cut up her body and packed it into coolers, then drove to the Richmond home of Amanda Hayes' sister.

"Once in Richmond, the couple first attempted to use muriatic acid to destroy Ackerson's body," the press release states. "When that didn't work, they took a boat onto Oyster Creek and dumped Laura's body parts into the water with hopes that alligators would eat her remains."

In North Carolina, Amanda Hayes was already convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 13-16 years in prison. Grant Hayes was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Amanda Hayes testified in her Fort Bend County trial that she did not kill Ackerson and that her husband threatened her if she did not help him dispose of Ackerson's body.

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A jury convicted Amanda Hayes of tampering with evidence to impair its availability in an investigation, a second-degree felony. Judge Maggie Jaramillo of the 400th District Court sentenced her to serve 20 years in prison, consecutive to the North Carolina sentence.

"The jury verdict was swift and the Court's sentence was appropriately harsh," said lead prosecutor Amanda Bolin. "Laura Ackerson's family can be assured that Amanda Hayes will be punished for all of her barbaric behavior – whether it was in North Carolina or the great state of Texas."