Found a black spider in alabama?

at the title suggests, i live in Alabama. to be more specific, i live in the eastern most region of the state. as far as i know region is important in determining species. my brother's were cleaning out an old hamster cage and what appeared to be a very dark black spider that had taken residence in the wooden castle in the cage. after hitting it with as much poison as i could find it curled up and presumably died. i got a pencil and moved its legs. no red hour gl to be found. it also had very subtle brown spots on its back that were barely noticable from any more than a foot away. as far as we knew it was a black widow until after killing it. i dont like spiders and these things plague my basement during the summer to the point were i dont feel safe down there at all. if anyone could identify it, that would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance