A family in Oklahoma is finally getting closure after a tragic loss. Christina Hampton, a nurse and mom of three sons, was killed by her husband of 12 years. Christina Hampton had reportedly told her husband that she wanted a divorce and shared some other choice words in doing so. Her husband seemed to snap, and instead of walking away, he took his anger out on her. He allegedly realized that he might have gone too far, but at that point, it was too late. He took her, barely clinging to life, to the hospital, where she died, before calling 911 and turning himself in. Now, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
The family’s nightmare has a resolution.
On April 30, 2026, 51-year-old Clifton Hampton pleaded guilty to strangling his wife in 2025, People reported.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the magazine, deputies from the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office were advised of a “suspicious death” around 7:30 a.m. on October 2, 2025.
When they arrived at the home, they learned Clifton Hampton had taken his wife, who was wrapped in a mattress pad, to the emergency room, where she then died. Christina Hampton, who was only wearing a T-shirt and underwear, “had visible injury described as consistent with drag marks,” the affidavit read.
Initially, Clifton told investigators that his wife told him she wanted a divorce and “discussions about divorce had carried on throughout the majority of the previous day, October 1, 2025, and throughout the night leading into the early hours of October 2, 2025,” the affidavit read, per People.
There were ‘glaring contradictions’ in the stories he told police.
He said he and his wife took a drive and she “exited the vehicle and gone a separate direction, and that he found her collapsed and injured on the side of the road a short time later,” per People.
Later, he told investigators he had lied. In fact, “the two were in bed after arguing all night, and that after Christina told him that he was ‘pathetic’ and that she and her friends make fun of him, Clifton became humiliated and angry, and choked Christina while she was lying in bed.”
“He stated that his intention for putting his hands around Christina’s throat was to ‘shut her up,’” the affidavit read.
Soon, Clifton Hampton realized he had “taken things ‘too far’” but claimed she still had a heartbeat when he tried to put her in the car to take her to the hospital, People reported. However, he said she was “dead weight” when he was trying to move her. First, he tried a dolly and tarp, but eventually he dragged her body to the car.
Her mother had a few choice words at Clifton Hampton’s sentencing.
According to News on 6, one side of the courtroom was full of people who loved Christina Hampton, and the other side was empty. Her mother, Shirley Vanderpool, told the judge that she and her daughter’s sons will carry the loss with them forever.
“Although I wanted to see him. I wished he had looked at me,” Vanderpool said of Clifton Hampton. “I wanted to go over and slap his face after my statement, but I knew I couldn’t do that, so I tried to behave myself.”
She added, “It’s hard to believe that, you know, 13 years ago, he promised to love and honor and protect her, and then he kills her. Just a few days before their 13th anniversary.”
Thankfully, Vanderpool was able to tell her former son-in-law all of that during his sentencing hearing. Although it will never bring her daughter back, she’s glad he was sentenced to life in prison so they can try to move forward.
“I think it’s going to let us all move on and, you know, not that we’re going to ever forget her,” she told News on 6.
Christina Hampton will always be remembered by people she knew.
Shortly after her death, a GoFundMe account was set up for her funeral, with the remaining money to be set aside for her sons.
“Christina’s life was centered on her children—she worked tirelessly to make sure they were cared for, loved, and supported in every way. She was their safe place, their cheerleader, and their everything,” the fundraiser read.
According to her online obituary, Christina Hampton had three sons. She had two of them with her first husband JC Bates, who later died. After marrying Clifton Hampton, they had a son, and she became stepmom to his two children.
“Christina had a beautiful spirit—kind, curious, and full of life. She was the kind of person who made everyone feel seen and valued. Through her laughter, her generosity, and her endless compassion, she touched the lives of all around her,” the obituary shared.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter (domesticshelters.org).
