October 29, 2025
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Investigators found the body of Laura Hughes, 50, in a refrigerator dumped in Belleplain State Forest in December. Her boyfriend Christopher Blevins, 46, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
A man from Gloucester City has pleaded guilty in the death of his girlfriend, whose body was discovered inside a refrigerator in a New Jersey state forest in December.
Christopher Blevins, 46, faced first-degree murder charges in the killing of Laura Hughes, 50. He was indicted after a hiker led law enforcement to Hughes' remains in Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County shortly before Christmas. Her body was shut inside a refrigerator that was wrapped in a sleeping bag, bound with blue ratchet straps and covered in carpet. She was identified based on her distinctive tattoos, as well as a yoga mat and necklace found at the scene, images of which police released to the public.
Blevins entered a guilty plea on the lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter Monday, the Camden County prosecutor's office said. He is expected to serve 17 years in state prison, per the terms of his plea. Blevins' sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 5.
Investigators arrested Blevins earlier this year after he fled to Mexico. He ultimately turned himself into authorities in Mexico City, police said, and told them he may have killed someone in a bar fight in Runnemede. Local authorities had placed his Dodge Ram pickup truck near Belleplain State Forest around the time Hughes' body was dumped. They also found blue straps and a gun inside his apartment.
State police alleged in the criminal complaint that Blevins and Hughes had a history of domestic abuse. She is survived by two teenage daughters.
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