Mother of woman murdered by girlfriend in cracked cold case remembers her as bubbly, says 'I wish I never let her come to Georgia'

ATLANTA — The mother of a 24-year-old woman killed in 2007 described her Wednesday as bubbly, artistic, the "life of the party" and trusting — a trait exploited by the girlfriend now accused of murdering her 18 years after her death.

In a case described as "gruesome" by DA Fani Willis and "calculated and meticulous" by Sandy Springs Police Detective John Nanoff, Angel Thompson is accused of traveling with her girlfriend Nicole Alston in 2007, trafficking her, killing her and then assuming her identity to collect Social Security and other benefits for eight years.

Among the details that led to officials describing it as "gruesome" and "meticulous" were that Alston's body was ultimately found cut into 13 pieces, with no hands, feet or head — delaying her identification until 2023.

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