An Atlanta man who killed his girlfriend and hid her body in a plastic bag was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Fulton County District Attorney said Thursday.
Larry Harper Jr., 38, was convicted of murder, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence in connection in the death of Thandiwe Hunt, DA Paul Howard’s office said.
On Feb. 2, 2011, a mailman found Hunt’s body in a wooded area near the intersection of Bagwell Street and Park Avenue in southwest Atlanta, according to investigators. Hunt, 20, was nude and wrapped in a plastic bag that was duct-taped. An autopsy determined Hunt died from strangulation or asphyxiation, Howard said.
Harper and Hunt had been living together in a hotel, but Harper initially told police he hadn’t seen the woman in a while. Harper was arrested when his DNA was found on Hunt’s body.
Harper later changed his story and told police Hunt had killed herself, Howard said. Hunt, according to Harper, left behind a note asking him to discard her body so that police would not think he had killed her, according to investigators. When asked for the victims ‘suicide’ note, Harper claimed to have burned it after discarding of his girlfriend’s body.
A jury convicted Harper on Wednesday and he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus 11 years. Harper represented himself during his trial.
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