VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A woman has pleaded guilty to concealing the body of a missing Currituck County man she was dating last summer, prosecutors say.
Ashley Walton, 36, of Knotts Island, entered a guilty plea for concealing a body and accessory after the fact on Tuesday.
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The charges are in connection with the disappearance of Martrell Lamar, 42, whose remains were found about five months after he was reported missing. Lamar's family told News 3 he was in a relationship with Walton and the two lived together.
Walton's plea comes about a month after another suspect, Antwaine Branch, 36, of Elizabeth City, was charged with shooting and killing Lamar, police say.
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Court documents obtained by News 3 in March of 2025 outline what investigators believe happened before and after Lamar's death: In July of 2024, investigators say Lamar and Walton were arguing near the Pungo Ferry Bridge when Walton called Branch, who showed up and allegedly shot Lamar.
Lamar was put in Walton’s car and she and Branch allegedly drove his body to Knotts Island, the court documents state. Human skeletal remains were found months later in December near Sandy Road in Pasquotank County, and police say in March, testing confirmed the remains were Lamar’s.
Police say after gathering more evidence, new charges were brought against Branch, including second-degree murder and firearm-related charges. He was initially just facing a concealment of dead body charge, which has since been nolle prossed.
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News 3 spoke with loved ones of Lamar in September of 2024, about two and a half months into his disappearance. Back then, roughly two months before Walton's arrest, they said they had a feeling she knew what happened to him.
"I reached out to her and she hasn’t answered. I texted her and no replies," Lamar's mother Debra Freeman said.
Walton has a pre-sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 10. The concealment of a dead body charge she pleaded guilty to is a felony and the accessory after the fact charge is a misdemeanor.
Branch has an upcoming hearing on Aug. 29.
