HOUSTON, TX – A Texas man received a life sentence for the 2016 murder of his girlfriend, who had filed domestic violence charges against him. Jarvis Earl Hickerson, 40, will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Wednesday.

Amalia Alexander, 32, was found dead in a field in Montgomery County, more than 40 miles north of Houston, two months after she reported Hickerson’s abuse to authorities. Her family, who endured years of uncertainty, finally saw justice served.

“This case is horrible and shows exactly why we take every allegation of domestic violence so seriously,” Ogg remarked. “Eight years is too long for anyone to wait for justice, but our Domestic Violence Division was able to secure life without parole, which is the appropriate sentence.”

Alexander’s ordeal began shortly after she filed an assault charge and a protective order against Hickerson following an incident at a north Houston IHOP restaurant. Despite Hickerson’s attempts to persuade her to drop the charges, which included a marriage proposal, Alexander remained resolute.

“With Amalia not backing down, Hickerson retaliated by killing her,” said Mary McFaden, who leads the DA’s Domestic Violence Division.

On September 19, 2016, Alexander was last seen leaving a relative’s home with Hickerson. The next day, after she failed to show up for work, her family reported her missing. Hickerson initially claimed ignorance about her whereabouts.

Authorities discovered Alexander’s remains on November 30, 2016, in a shallow grave, guided by cell phone records. At the time, Hickerson was already in jail for violating another protective order related to prior domestic violence against Alexander.

Surveillance footage revealed Hickerson leaving Alexander’s apartment on the day she disappeared. His cellphone records also placed him near the area where her remains were discovered on consecutive days after her disappearance.

Further compounding his guilt, while on bond for the murder, Hickerson tampered with his GPS ankle monitor and assaulted another girlfriend. He was re-arrested on April 6, 2021, and remained in custody thereafter.

Alexander had moved to Houston to start anew, working with the elderly to spread generosity and kindness. “She loved God and had a smile and a laugh that would brighten your day,” her family noted on a GoFundMe page set up in her memory.

Hickerson’s sentencing underscores the grave consequences of domestic violence and marks a somber but significant victory for Alexander’s family.