BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A man charged with abusing the corpse of a missing Alabama woman in 2020 plead guilty Wednesday to the abuse.

Fredrick Hampton, 50 at the time, was charged in January 2020 with abuse of a corpse in the death of 29-year-old Paighton Houston.

Houston was last seen in December 2019 leaving a Birmingham bar with two men. Her body was found later in a shallow grave behind a home that belonged to Hampton’s relatives.

Houston’s death was ruled as an accidental overdose.

In March 2020, Hampton was released on bond. He was required to wear an electronic monitor.

On August 30, 2023, Hampton plead guilty to corpse abuse and received a 20-year sentence, 17 years of which were suspended, according to Attorney Emory Anthony.

Hampton will serve three years in jail, followed by five years of probation, Anthony said.