Man serving life dies in prison

ATHENS – After being discovered unconscious, an Athens man serving a life sentence for a 2010 murder died in a prison on Monday. Athens resident James Arlie Hampton, 54, was found guilty of killing Corey David on January 4, 2010. Judicial and appeal records show that he was given a life sentence. Hampton was discovered unconscious at the Lewis Unit in Woodville on Monday, June 8, according to a report from the Texas Attorney General. Just before 1 p.m. on Monday, he was declared dead at the hospital. The results of the autopsy are still pending.

In 2012, Hampton filed an appeal of his conviction with the 12th Court of Appeals, but the court rejected it. According to the appeal opinion, in January 2010, David was shot with a powerful rifle and his body was disposed of in a burn pit on the property outside of Athens. It was not until January 7 that an investigator discovered David’s burned body beneath a box spring mattress and other debris. According to the appeals opinion, Hampton was identified as the suspect, found guilty by a jury, and given a life sentence.