Natalie Sampayo was a 19-year-old White woman building a new life for herself. Originally from Garfield, New Jersey, where she had spent most of her life, she had moved to Savannah, Georgia, just nine months before her death. She found a job as a receptionist at the European Wax Center on Mall Boulevard and was settling into her new community.
On the afternoon of December 15, 2022, Natalie was at her job when her life was cut short.
Around 2:50 p.m., her ex-boyfriend, 22-year-old Alphonso Xavier Irving, entered the business. He shot Natalie, leaving her with life-threatening injuries. Emergency responders rushed her to Memorial Medical Center, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
The Savannah Police Department launched an immediate investigation. Detectives quickly identified Irving as the suspect and, with the assistance of technology, took him into custody the same day. He was booked into the Chatham County jail and initially charged with one count of murder. The following month, in January 2023, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Irving on five separate counts: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
In the wake of the tragedy, the European Wax Center temporarily closed to support its staff, and Natalie’s family organized a fundraiser to cover funeral expenses. Her interment was held in her hometown of Garfield, New Jersey. As of January 2023, Irving remained in custody at the Chatham County Jail awaiting further court proceedings.
