Christopher Blevins and Laura Hughes had a history of domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, according to the affidavit (Photos: NJSP and Alston family) NJSP/Daily Voice
A Camden County man has admitted to killing his girlfriend whose body was found inside a refrigerator in a Cape May County forest.
Christopher Blevins, 46, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter Monday, in Camden County.
He faces 17 years in prison under the plea agreement.
Laura Hughes' then-unidentified body was found Dec. 22, after hiker John Tyrrell called police to the Belleplain State Forest.
A week later, Blevins left his job for lunch, and never returned.
A warrant was issued Jan. 3, charging him with desecration of human remains and hindering apprehension, for allegedly using his truck to move the refrigerator with Hughes' body inside.
Blevins was arrested in San Diego on Jan. 13.
Detectives traveled to San Diego to interview Blevins, who told them he strangled Hughes to death in their Runnemede apartment in late July 2024.
He then fled to Mexico, where he surrendered Aug. 27, 2024, saying he had been involved in a "violent incident" in Runnemede. But that was before Hughes' body was discovered.
Since no charges had been filed at that time, Blevins was released and returned to Camden County, until Dec. 30, when he abandoned his job.
Blevins was charged with murder in February.
He and Hughes had a history of domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, according to the affidavit of probable cause previously reported by BreakingAC.
A search of their apartment led to blue ratchet straps, a firearm and a calendar that had an X on every day before July 24, 2024, but none after.
At 6:16 a.m. July 24, 2024, a photograph from a license plate reader showed Blevins' green Dodge Ram transporting a refrigerator-shaped object in Long Beach Island. At 4 p.m. the next day, the same truck with the object was in Sea Isle City.
Hughes' body would not be found for five months, when Tyrell discovered the refrigerator while hiking.
Tyrrell called police Dec. 22, but later revealed he found the refrigerator the day before and removed items. It was on a return trip the next day that he claimed he saw the body and called police.
He was charged with obstruction, and was indicted in June, court records show. His next court date is Nov. 12.
Blevins still has the pending hindering case out of Cape May County, where he was indicted in June. He is due in court there Nov. 17.
He also incurred charges in California, including giving false identification to police and possession of non-narcotic drugs and paraphernalia.
Blevins is set to be sentenced in the killing Dec. 5.
He must serve at least 85 percent under the No Early Release Act, or about 14 years and five months.
Hughes is survived by two daughters. Their father, Cornel Alston, has set up a GoFundMe to help them.
