An Alexandria, La., man charged with murdering his fiancee at a Natchez hotel early Saturday has a criminal record that includes a manslaughter conviction.

Freddie L. Ebey, 37, was being held on a $100,000 bond at the Natchez City Jail. His bond was set Monday in Natchez Municipal Court by Judge John Tipton.

According to an employee with Hunts Correctional Center in Louisiana who did not wish to be identified, Ebey has been in and out of its detention system since 1991.

In addition to the manslaughter charge, he also served time for simple burglary, two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle and felony conviction with a firearm. Details of his past crimes were not immediately available.

He has been living in Alexandria since last released in June 1998. Ebey is still on parole.

For the latest charge against him, Ebey is believed to have killed Terry Carter, 37, of Keithville, La.

Early Saturday, Carter was found dead in a hotel room at Lady Luck Hotel that she and Ebey were sharing. She suffered injuries to her head and face, said Natchez Police Chief Willie Huff.

Police are still awaiting the results of the autopsy, Huff said.

Carter and Ebey were temporary employees with Bonnette Auction Company in Alexandria.

On Friday, the couple and other auction company employees stopped in Natchez to spend the night, said Germaine Paige, office manager of Bonnette Auction Company.

The group was driving back from McGee, where they had gone to prepare for an auction, Paige said.

The employees at Bonnette are devastated by Carter’s death,

&uot;Nobody deserves that especially not her,&uot;&160;Paige said. &uot;She was very sweet. We all liked her.&uot;

Carter is said to have been a small woman who had been through an an abusive marriage.

Paige said Carter and Ebey argued sometimes and Bonnette employees knew about Ebey’s past.

&uot;We questioned her several times on why she ever stayed with him,&uot; Paige said. &uot;He’s a very smooth talker. He knew how to manipulate people.&uot;

The couple had not set a wedding date because Carter’s divorce from her first husband was not finalized, Paige said.

Police caught Ebey around 5:45 a.m. Saturday in Woodville.

He was driving a White Ford truck, belonging to the auction company. He was not unauthorized to drive it, Paige said.

Ebey’s court-appointed attorney is Leonard Rosenthal. His preliminary hearing is set for 10:30 a.m., Feb. 17.