ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. — A Rogers County man is facing first-degree murder charges after confessing to strangling his wife during an argument.
Clifton Hampton was arrested at St. Francis in Vinita after telling investigators different stories about his wife, Christina's, death.
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"He shows up with an explanation of her death that is far from the truth," said Walton. "Husband shows up at Craig County hospital, his wife deceased, and she's wrapped in a mattress pad. He immediately has a story, but we immediately knocked holes in that story. We were certain that this was actually a homicide."
According to the affidavit, Hampton told investigators there had been no domestic violence during their 12-year marriage. He then admitted to a criminal history involving domestic violence in previous relationships.
The affidavit details Hampton's account of events that changed during his interview with investigators.
Initially, Hampton claimed he and Christina went for a drive together. He said his wife got out of the car and walked away, and he later found her collapsed on the side of the road.
His second version described Christina walking away from their home before getting in the car with him, then exiting the vehicle and walking away again.
After investigators interviewed one of the couple's children, the affidavit said Hampton's story changed, and he confessed to lying about the circumstances that led up to her death.
"When you see the ripple effect of a moment of anger, uncontrolled, a life’s lost, others are so drastically affected,” said Walton. “I think their marriage was struggling. They had argued a lot that evening, and then this erupted, comments made, and I guess to the point that he was infuriated and took her life.”
The affidavit said that during an argument about divorce, Hampton said Christina called him "pathetic," which humiliated him and prompted him to choke her.
When he realized things had gone "too far," Hampton said he rushed his wife to the hospital, and believed she still had a heartbeat at the time.
"Here we see a tragedy... He obviously didn't possess the ability to walk away from an argument before it ruined a lot of people's lives," said Walton. "The only word that comes to my mind is tragedy, but it magnifies that when we see the needlessness of it.”
Hampton was booked in the Rogers County Jail.
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