A New York woman was arrested after she allegedly hid her roommate’s body so that she could host a house party. Stephanie Hillburn, 43, is said to have kept 62-year-old Patricia Barter’s body concealed from the party guests but was caught out when the Johnson Police Department was called to the property for a welfare check.
- Hillburn pleaded not guilty to charges of concealment of a human corpse. Following her arrest on August 11 by the Johnstown Police Department, Hillburn appeared in court where she pleaded not guilty to the charges against her. However, if convicted, she could spend four years behind bars.
- An anonymous person was worried for the victim. According to WTEN, a concerned person phoned the police on February 14, 2021 to conduct a welfare check on Barter. When officers turned up at the house on Byard Street, they spoke to Hillburn and another roommate, Deborah Elgin, while at the property.
- Something wasn’t right with the roommates. When police spoke to Elgin and Hillburn, officers reported that the women seemed nervous and referred them to her bedroom, where Barter’s body was found dead. Police said that she “appeared to have been deceased for some time.”
- Barter had an overdose during the week of February 6. However, instead of calling the authorities immediately, police say Elgin and Hillburn just moved her body to another room “to conceal Barter’s corpse from being discovered by guests.” They were then free to throw house parties.
- Elgin is already in jail. While Hillburn will have to wait to hear her fate, Elgin is already behind bars, serving time for another unrelated crime. It’s unclear how she is pleading in the concealment case or whether prosecutors will seek additional sentencing for her.
