A Memphis man pled guilty on Feb. 26 to second-degree murder in the strangulation death of his girlfriend, whose body was found in her abandoned vehicle in 2015 in North Shelby County, said Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
Defendant Carlos Payton, 34, was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility for parole. Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft approved the settlement of the case.
On the afternoon of Sept. 29, 2015, investigators with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office were called to an address in the 5000 block of Benjestown Road, where the body of 23-year-old Pryncess Jackson of Bartlett was found in the back of her SUV.
Payton was arrested later that day and told investigators he strangled her during an argument that morning at another location. He then put her body in the SUV, parked it behind a vacant home on Benjestown and walked away, carrying their 3-year-old daughter.
The case was handled by Assistant District Attorneys Marianne Bell and Abby Wallace.
Bell is with the DA’s Domestic Violence Unit, which prosecutes felony cases of domestic assault and homicide committed by intimate partners. The unit also works closely with the Shelby County Family Safety Center to provide services and assistance to victims and their families.
Wallace is with the DA’s Special Prosecution Unit, which seeks maximum sentencing for repeat felony offenders.
