Crime Weekly - S3 Ep336: Six Shots, Six Minutes | The Unanswered Death of Christian Griggs (Part 1)

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

On the morning of October 12, 2013, 23-year-old Army veteran Christian Griggs went to his in-laws’ property in Angier, North Carolina to pick up his young daughter, Jaden. At 10:54 a.m., he called his father Tony to say that his father-in-law, Reverend Pat Chisenhall, was yelling at him while his estranged wife Katie hid inside the house. Six minutes later, at 11:00 a.m., Tony arrived at the Chisenhall home to find his son lying face-down, bleeding and unresponsive. Pat had shot him six times with a .22 rifle. Once in the abdomen, once on the top of his left shoulder, and four times in the back. Christian was rushed to the hospital, where he was soon pronounced dead. As his family struggled to process the sudden loss, detectives began piecing together what had happened that fateful morning. What they uncovered were conflicting accounts, multiple 911 calls, and questions that would haunt the case for years to come. Try our coffee!! - www.CriminalCoffeeCo.com Become a Patreon member -- > https://www.patreon.com/CrimeWeekly Shop for your Crime Weekly gear here --> https://crimeweeklypodcast.com/shop Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrimeWeeklyPodcast Website: CrimeWeeklyPodcast.com Instagram: @CrimeWeeklyPod Twitter: @CrimeWeeklyPod Facebook: @CrimeWeeklyPod ADS: 1. https://www.JunesJourney.com - Download June’s Journey for free! Available on iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as on PC. 2. https://www.HelloFresh.com/CrimeWeekly10FM - Use code CRIMEWEEKLY10FM for 10 FREE meals and a FREE item for life! 3. https://www.RocketMoney.com/CrimeWeekly - Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money! 4.  https://www.TryFum.com/CrimeWeekly - Try FUM Zero Crisp Mint today!

On the morning of October 12, 2013, 23-year-old Army veteran Christian Griggs drove to his estranged wife's parents' home in Angier, North Carolina, to pick up his daughter for the weekend. But just before 11 a.m., he called his father, saying that his father-in-law, Reverend Pat Chishol's. Chishon Hall was yelling at him and that Katie was hiding inside the house. Six minutes later, when Christian's father arrived, he found Christian, lying face down on the porch, bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. Christian was rushed to the hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead shortly after noon.

As investigators began piecing together what had happened on the Chisandhall property, troubling questions emerged. About multiple 911 calls placed just minutes before the shooting, the conflicting accounts from those inside the house and whether anyone was telling the truth. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to Crime Weekly. I'm Stephanie Harlow. And I'm Derek Levaser. Today we're diving in to a new series, The Christian Greg's Murder. And there's a lot to talk about with this case. We're going to dive in. But first, I know that Derek had a lot of things to talk about on Crime Weekly News before we got into that. I mean, yeah. I had a lot of energy drinks

before then. I'll make it quick this time. We're currently at CrimeCon if you're listening to this on audio, if you're watching it at YouTube or at the end of CrimeCon. I'm wearing the new Criminal Coffee merch hat and T-shirt. If you're watching on YouTube, you see it on audio. It's a hand holding a coffee mug attached to a handcuff so it's pretty cool pretty cool merch it'll be out it's not on the website right now it will be we were launching it at crime con so be on the lookout for that for everybody who watched the brad bradley episode or listen to it thank you at this point it's been out for over a week we wanted to make sure that we had all sides of that story told we had our own opinions on it obviously brad didn't agree with everything uh we were able to connect through you guys and we had

him on the show and I thought it was a really interesting discussion and we were glad to have him because it kind of rounded out our whole series on it and so happy to have him. Thanks for him being there. I think overall the reception to the interview was mostly positive, which is what we were looking for. And yeah, love what we're doing over here. Glad that we're having an impact. Glad that we're a channel where people respect us enough because of you guys that they're willing to come on and sit down and talk with us. So really cool. I also got like a clearer picture of the cruise and kind of what the Bradley's, like, normal schedule was and routine, and that was very helpful for just rounding everything out.

Yeah, overall, there's definitely some questions that can't be answered. And I appreciated the fact that even he acknowledged that. And that's why this case was covered on Netflix. If it was so straightforward, what happened, there wouldn't be this much interest, unfortunately. So we all want the same thing. As I said to Brad, we want to find Amy. We want to know what happened to her.

And if someone is responsible for whatever happened, they need to be held responsible. certainly but we need to give this family answers and I'm hoping with all of this coverage it's not just for the coverage and something actually comes from it I agree yes we gave Brad his props and told him we respected it for coming on putting himself out there which he's you know probably going to continue doing because he does want to find out what happened to his sister we give him respect for holding himself in a very professional and open-minded manner and that's all we ask of anybody yeah and like I said thank you to you guys for helping us to reach out to people for supporting us a shout out to at sassy sam 6297 on x she was actually the one that messaged brad bradley over x tagged him and me and then he responded so i responded and that's how we connected it wouldn't have happened without you sassy sam sassy sam thank you so much so i love a sam there we go yeah so good stuff really cool cool that we get to do what we do for a living so should we dive into today's case yeah because after that trailer i got to tell you i'm like Like, okay, this seems pretty straightforward, but I don't know if we'd be covering it if it was.

So I was writing my notes and I'm like, okay, well, I think I know what happened here, but we'll see what happens. Okay, so Christian Lamar Griggs was born on February 22nd, 1990 to his parents, Dolly and Tony, who were both serving as army officers at the time. Around four years later, his younger sister Christy was born and the two of them developed a bond that went far beyond the typical sibling relationship. They were inseparable, and people who knew them said they were more like best friends than brother and sister. Because Tony and Dolly were in the military, the Griggs family moved around often during the kids' early years. But in 1996, when Christian was around six and Christie was two, they finally settled for good in Angier, North Carolina, a small town in Harnat County with only about 3,000 residents at the time. This town covers just three square miles and sits in the middle of the state about 25 miles from Raleigh.

it's the kind of place where families stay for generations and almost everyone knows everyone. Typical small town, a tale as old as time. We've heard it before. Everyone knows everyone, which means everyone knows everyone's business. But also, you know, you hope that people take care of each other. So in 2004, Christian started high school at Harnett Central. He earned good grades, joined the ROTC program, and played on the soccer team where coaches said he really stood out. And even though he was a teenager, he still stayed close with his sister.

He showed up to support her at sporting events and he took her out to dinner just to spend time with her. Their relationship had always been strong, but as they got older, it became clear just how close they were. Christian was close to his parents as well, and they spent a lot of time talking about the future, where Christian wanted to go to college and what career path he wanted to follow. He told his parents he wanted to make an impact on the world the way they had, and they came up with a plan for Christian to do just that. He would go to college and study engineering on an ROTC scholarship, and after graduating, he would earn an officer commission in the army.

But that plan was altered when Christian started dating a classmate named Katie Chisunhall during his junior year. Katie was also a junior at Harnett Central, but unlike Christian, she came from a family with deep roots in Harnett County. Her father, Reverend Pat Chisenhall, had grown up on land that had been in the family for generations, and in 1988, he founded the Abundant Life Worship Center, a church that became well known in the community. He served as the lead pastor, and he was a well-respected member of the community. The Chisholns-halls lived just outside of town in a rural area off

North Carolina 210, a state highway that cuts through Angier. Their home was only about five minutes from the Griggs family, but despite the close distance, Dali and Tony had never met them. So Christian's parents had never met Katie's parents. And Angier was small, but it was just big enough that the Griggs and Chisholenhall families had not crossed paths. As soon as Christian and Katie started dating, their relationship became the talk of the town. The Griggs later told the media that because Christian was black and Katie is white, their interracial relationship made some in Harnett County uneasy. Now, just for context, many people consider this part of North Carolina to be, you know,

technically the deep south, a place where racism still exists in daily life, and where interracial couples are not widely accepted. Now, while some in the community may not have accepted Christian and Katie's relationship, the Griggs and the Chisholns didn't seem to have an issue with the two of them dating. For the Griggs, the concerns came from other parts of the relationship. They said that when they first met Katie, she was quiet and reserved, and they didn't have a problem with her. But according to them, it wasn't long before they started noticing red flags.

One example they shared was that Katie would sometimes call when Christian wasn't home. Dali or Tony would answer the phone and pass along the message. And later, when Christian returned the call, he would come back upset, saying Katie told him that his parents had been disrespectful. Dali and Tony said they had no idea what he was talking about. And it wasn't just a one-time thing that could be written off as a misunderstanding. According to them, this happened more than once. Yeah, okay. So we're already seeing some cracks in the relationship where you have Katie's family,

who may not necessarily be a huge fan of Christian for one reason or another. other. And now also, you have Katie attempting maybe to cause a divide between Christian and his parents as well by saying, hey, they're being rude to me when you're not home. And that's also creating some dissension. So not the best start to this relationship is what I'm hearing. Yeah, I mean, allegedly, according to reports, right, according to reports, the Chishol's Katie's parents, they didn't have a problem with the race thing. They didn't have a problem with their daughter dating Christian, who was a black man. That's some of the speculation, the opt- That apparently there was some in the area who did, but the Chisholns-Halls did not at least outwardly express any issue with it. But yes, it does look like Katie's trying to cause a rift, maybe. Or make Christian think like she's not being treated well and she's kind of a victim in this situation because why, like what reason would his parents have to be rude to the girlfriend of their teenage son? That's weird. Well, I mean, I will say this. I listened to the teaser just like everybody else, and we're kind of going back to the start

of the story, but pretty self-explanatory what you said in that teaser. Christian was shot and killed right on the porch while Katie's father was there. And while Katie was there, yeah. So we have to start asking the questions as you're telling us the story, what's the potential motive? So even though the Chisand Halls are saying they didn't have an issue with Christian and Katie's relationship, I think it's reasonable for us to question. question it because we're going to eventually get to the point where we're going to figure out

at least why Pat is saying Christian was shot. Now, you didn't say Pat shot him. So, and I'm sure that was, yeah, he was clearly on purpose, but these are just some assumptions that I have hearing this story for the first time like a lot of people. So I'll reserve judgment, but these are why I'm asking these questions, because something happened, something didn't go right. And there was only a few people on that porch. So I'm interested to see where the story goes. And I will say, I mean, by the point that Christian was shot and killed, he and Katie had been married. They were obviously having issues and they were estranged and they had a child together. So there could be a lot of reasons.

A lot of dynamics in between there. A lot of dynamics here. Yeah. This might have nothing to do with it, but it is, it's off to a rough start. But you're right. You're right. A lot happened between this and before the shooting. So again, I'm just looking for contact.

and I'm looking to see what might have got us on the wrong path, where we ended up in this story. And so you can't discredit these things that you're bringing up because I think they're relevant. I agree. And I will say based on giving context, based on the area. And yes, an interracial relationship may have raised eyebrows in the community and town for some people. And could the chis and halls have been some people and then just not outwardly expressed it, hoping that the relationship would resolve itself? Sure, that's possible. All right, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

You all know how much we love a good mystery here at Crime Weekly, but sometimes I want to solve one without flipping through thousands of court documents and having real life people on the line. And that's when I pull up June's Journey, the hidden object mystery game set in one of my favorite times, the glamorous 1920s. So in June's journey, you play as June Parker, an amateur detective trying to untangle her sister's murder and uncover her family's secrets. And the story unfolds through these beautifully designed hidden object scenes where you hunt down clues, connect the dots, and push the investigation forward. And let me tell you, it's surprisingly satisfying when you spot that one item that ties everything together. But it's not just about solving cases. As you progress, you actually get to design and decorate your very own island. So in between chapters of intrigue and murder, I'm out here building my little 19.

20s paradise. Plus, they've got special events and seasonal content that keep things fresh, so it never feels repetitive. Personally, I love playing when I need to relax, but I still want to keep my brain engaged. It's really beautiful. All the pictures, they're like hand-drawn, gorgeous, just a really aesthetic kind of experience, but also very exciting. It's way better than doom scrolling, and I still get that little rush of discovery every time a new twist hits. So I love June's journey. I've been playing it for years, and Derek's going to tell you how you can try it out for yourself. Yeah, I love mastering the scenes. You get to level up.

You earn these rewards and you collect resources and rare items. It's really cool. We enjoy it. We think you will as well. So if you want to check it out, you can download June's Journey for free by clicking the link in the description box below or by scanning the QR code on the screen right now. June's Journey is also available on iOS and Android mobile devices as well as PC. So go check it out.

You won't regret it. Looking forward to see how far you get in the game. Okay, so Katie Chisunhaal is kind of making allegations towards Christian about his parents. Like, they're rude to me. They're disrespectful when I call. Now, Tony and Dali, Christian's parents, they said there were other similar situations and some in person. And eventually, this behavior of Katie's left them uneasy. Tony explained, quote, we got to a point where we had to set a pact between us that no

would be in a room alone with Katie so that you couldn't get these stories or these accusations to come back. It just seemed to be, from my perception, a problem with integrity, end quote. And this is actually very smart, right? They're like, hey, she's going to keep saying things about us that we don't feel are true. So in order to avoid any confusion or miscommunication, we're going to make sure that there's at least, you know, one other person in the room besides us and Katie, so that someone can back us up and say, no, that's not the dynamic I witnessed. No, I didn't witness them being disrespectful. I didn't read their tone or what they said as being mean or rude to Katie.

So hopefully, at least Christian would see that they were, his parents were kind of coming at this in good faith and they weren't trying to, you know, just be horrible to his girlfriend. But all of these issues did lead to tension between Tony, Dolly, and Katie, tensions that would only intensify with time. Now, Katie hasn't spoken publicly about her side of the story, so it's not clear how she would respond. to these claims. What we do know is that Christian's friends didn't particularly like her either. They felt she was pulling him away from the people in his life, his family, and his friends, and after a while, they grew tired of it, and they started to keep their distance. Christian responded by keeping the relationship private. He didn't talk about Katie much, and he rarely brought her around. To me, this is a big red flag. If you can't sort of have your

relationship and your other relationships, like friendships and family, along with your relationship, you can't live in the same world with them. There's something going on there. And additionally, if you're keeping your relationship private and you can't really talk to people about what's happening in it, it's usually because you're either embarrassed or you're afraid that they're going to judge the person you're with. And then if you end up staying with that person, it's going to become awkward and, you know, you have questions to answer. So I always feel that's a red flag when you can't be open about your relationship and you can't bring the person you're with around the people who care about you and who love you. Yeah. And just from personal experience,

I have not me being on this end of it, but there have been times where I've had friends who were with someone and we had let them know that this person was probably not right for them. And you could tell that they agreed with us. And yet they just couldn't break away. And so instead of allowing us to say, see, we told you so, they would just keep that relationship separate from our relationships with this person and wouldn't bring it up because that way they could have both people be happy in their own little bubbles and if it did go south they could just be like yeah I listen to you guys I remember what you said if because because if they're throwing it in your face and it and it crumbles they know they're going to hear about it

but I feel like when they do that and they don't stand up for it more times than not it's because deep down they know there's some truth to what you're telling them yeah there's some truth and they're aware of it, but for whatever reason, they're kind of entangled. They're hoping it gets better or they're hoping, like, you know, you're overreacting. They're even hoping they're overreacting. And I've been there.

I'm not going to say I'm immune to that. I've been in relationships where, you know, you know the person's probably not right for you, but you can't help the way you feel and you allow or make excuses for certain behavior because you have feelings for them. And sometimes it takes a little bit longer for you to realize that you can do better.

It's not a lack of feelings. It's a question of compatibility and like, how good is this person for me? Yeah. Do they make you a better person? Now, in your experience, when you've had friends who you've been like, you know, hey, I don't think this person's for you. This person's a problem. How many times has that relationship gone on to go just the way? It never works out. It never works out. You know, and I got to be careful what I say here, but this particular instance that I'm thinking of, we had heard about this person from other people. and relationship they had been in before, and maybe they were still talking to some of those people, and we were trying to give a heads up without interfering with the process of their relationship and figuring it out on their own. Scandalous. Yeah, this was a while ago.

This was many years ago. So you have some reports. Oh, yeah. Maybe unconfirmed that this person might be out on the town with other guys. But you don't want to be the person who's like, yo, she's still talking to her ex, so you're kind of like. Well, we didn't have proof of it.

We were just hearing about it and nobody really wanted to come forward. It was, it was from other friends of ours who knew. See, women are different. Women are different. If a woman heard that her friend's boyfriend was still talking to his ex or seeing out with other women, they'd be on that so fast. Hey, I, you know, I heard marks out with, with Claire. Yeah. But men are more like, yeah, we don't want to be that person. We don't be that guy. And, you know, he was also getting very defensive and we didn't want to jeopardize or ruin our relationship. We've known this person for many years for the sake. of this person. We knew we had confidence that this person would figure it out on their own. And guess

what? They did. And we've actually talked about that before, right? When somebody you care about, whether it's a close friend or a family member, is in a relationship with somebody who it might be toxic, there's only so much pushing you can do before you push that person away and then you can't reach them or help them at all. So you always want to walk that line very carefully. And sometimes it forces them to be together even longer. Because now they feel like united again. against a common enemy. And it strengthens them for a short period of time. Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. Because like, hey, we're in this together. It's us against the world. And what I found is in those situations, you'll have somebody isolated from their friends and their family until all they have left is that toxic person. And so they don't want to leave that toxic person even more now because that's all they have left. They've alienated their friends and family.

I've seen relationships like this last a lifetime where both people are legitimately miserable and hate each other for the rest of their lives. They're too stubborn. Just sitting in their rocking chair being like, I should have listened to my friends. Yeah, like looking over like, I hate this person. But their pride and, you know, their confirmation bias allowed them to continue on. Three kids later, four kids later, you know. Exactly.

Then you have kids. You got a mortgage. You got dogs. Oh, my gosh. It's like, I'm committed now. Yeah, I might as well. What else is going to happen? Nobody else is talked to me.

We've seen this way too much. So Christian's kind of like, all right, I have my friends, I have my family, and then I have my girlfriend, and these two things shall never meet. So as time went on, Christian changed in other ways. His parents said his schoolwork began to suffer. He was acting out at home. They believed Katie had become the center of his attention, and they felt she was a bad influence. Hoping to help him take a break from Katie and refocus, they made the decision to send him to a boarding school 200 miles away. That's drastic.

That is extreme. I mean, you're giving us an overall summary of what happened. There may have been more details, more context that led to this. I don't know if it went from just, hey, not doing great in school. You didn't turn in a couple homework assignments, boarding school. I'm sure there's a lot more to it. No, it sounded like Christian was super motivated, super driven, like knew exactly what he wanted to do in life and was behaving even as a teenager

in ways consistent with achieving that later in life. And then when he met Katie, he sort of kind of like that all fall. That wasn't important. She was the only thing that was important. But here's the thing. And we just talked about this. You've got to give people space to make their own decisions, right or wrong. Even if it's your child, even if it's your friend.

And sending him to boarding school would likely have the opposite effect of what they hoped for, especially in this teenage Romeo Juliet sort of love story. They're trying to keep us apart. It's going to make Katie and Christian stronger. It's going to make them feel like you said that they're allied against a economist, common enemy, which is the world, trying to keep them apart, and they're meant to be in their twin flames, and nothing's going to stop us now. No, the twin flame.

I'm interested to hear what our audience has to say about this, because it's not necessarily related to the case directly, but we have a lot of parents out there, and everyone here has parents themselves, and I wonder what their approach would be to this. If you had a child that was motivated, had some intention and what they were doing, had a goal, were on the right path and then all of a sudden some new people came into their lives and there was an inability to separate them from those people

so if you had the financial capability would you consider sending them to a boarding school to maybe try to get them back where they need to be knowing that this foundation could be critical to their future or as Stephanie said do you kind of give them a little bit more rope to hang themselves and say hey listen we love you we're here for you but you know

you're going to have to figure it out on your own and with that comes the inherent risk that they could get too far off the track and they never get back. I want to hear what you guys think about this because as parents ourselves, I mean, your oldest is 22 now, 23. I mean 23. Wow, you're old. She'll be 24 in October. You're old. We're six days apart. But my children are, my children, you have some young children. Obviously, Bella's young. Is Bella younger than Peyton? Bella's, Bella will be nine in January. Yeah. So, so Peyton's, Peyton just turned nine. So, yes, we, we have children around the same age and I'm trying to navigate that every single day. What's the approach?

Because I can be that helicopter parent. So I'm trying to figure out what the path is. I am not a helicopter parent. In my experience, all humans make mistakes and making mistakes is part of life and it's how you learn. And you can tell something, like especially me. I'm a person who has to learn by doing, right? That's why school was always very hard. I can't just be talked at. I have to be hands on. I have to be doing it. I have to be learning. The same goes for mistakes. You could tell me until you turn blue that what I'm doing is a mistake. But until I do it and make the mistake, I won't believe you. And I think a lot of kids are the same way. They don't have the life experience that their parents have. They can't comprehend. So pushing and pushing and trying to

exert your influence and your control on your child is just going to make them double down and be stubborn about it because they know what's best in their head. So you've got to like release the reins and let kids make mistakes. Obviously not horrible, horrendous mistakes, but yeah, maybe you're failing a class here. Maybe, you know, you put your future a little off track. If it's important to you and you want to get it back, you will rectify it and you'll have to work a little bit harder, but it will prevent you from making a mistake in the future because of the sacrifice you had to make after making this mistake. I'll tell you, I just covered a case, Bryce Lespisa.

You ever heard of it? Yes, yes. And similar circumstance, without going too far off the rails here, college student, parent, were giving him some space. He had a girlfriend. He was home for the summer. He's back at school for two weeks. Everything was going good. According to his roommates and stuff, he starts getting heavy into drinking and vivance. And this isn't a matter of literally two to three weeks. All of a sudden he starts to have this mental breakdown. He's giving away his stuff, giving away diamond earrings that his mother had given him. And his car ends up crashing miles away from where he should

have been. They never find him. He's still missing to this day. It's a really fascinating story. I say that to say, you see Karen and Mike, Bryce's parents now, they had given him some space. They were allowing him to make those mistakes. And now, 12 years later, they still can't find their son. So I know that's an extreme, but those are the fears that I have. I think because of what we do for a living. I know. Yeah, but I, you know what I mean? I just can't help escape. I can't escape it. If it's drugs, alcohol, then like, yes, this is a chemical dependency now. Rehab, not boarding school. You know, get them some help with that. But when it's relationships, it can be so insidious and you can be so trauma-abonded.

And somebody could literally be doing all of these calculated, manipulated things to make you closer to them. And so anybody on the outside who's putting pressure is going to push the wrong direction. And we've seen this happen so many times. Could push them more towards that person. Yeah, exactly. You're not wrong. So Christian goes to boarding school 200 miles away. I can tell you how happy he was about that.

I'm sure. And you know what happened? The distance did not keep him and Katie apart. The couple still found ways to see each other in person. Then in early 2008 during their last semester of high school, Katie became pregnant, which is another way sometimes that people will tie you to them and make it impossible for you ever to get out of their lives or not be a part of their lives. Now, both families were obviously upset and worried about what that would mean for these kids' future. She's in high school still. Now, by this point, Christian had been awarded a full scholarship through ROTC at North Carolina State University. It was the start of his plan, the one that he'd been working on and talking about for years. But now, obviously, that's all up in the air. What are you going to do? How can you go away to college when you have a baby? Baby on the way. Yeah. So despite everything, Christian and Katie decided they wanted to keep the baby. They promised they would both graduate from high school and afterward, Christian would go to NC State, studying engineering just as planned while making the 20-mile drive back and forth to Angier, where Katie stayed with her parents.

Respectable. Yeah. I love what I'm hearing so far. Christian seems like he's a stand-up dude. He's being a responsible adult at this point. He's being a good father. He's being there for his baby and for Katie and at the same time still pursuing his dreams. And very impressive to be going to NC State traveling 20 miles back and forth.

every end that says a lot about him. So 20 miles, it's not a huge commute, right? But what Christian is gaining or giving as far as being a good partner and a good father, he's losing as far as being a kid, a college kid, who's going to have the experience of living on campus, taking part in clubs, doing extracurricular activities. Basically now he's going to school, taking his classes, and coming right back to be a father and a partner and eventually a husband. And this was not part of the plan. And yeah, it's great that he pivoted and adapted, but is there, there's a chance that maybe Katie got pregnant on purpose? Oh, well, listen, I'm going to push back on that because at the end of the day, I'm not trying to be crass here, but it takes two to make

a baby. And there's, there's decisions that are made during intercourse by two people that result in it. So I don't know what Katie's mindset was, but if, and I don't know how the audience is going to feel, but I don't feel sorry for Christian, hey, when you make decisions and you're pursuing things and you're acting like adult and doing adult things, these are the possible consequences that could result from your action. So this little, quote unquote, detour that's causing his college years to be more difficult and not allow him to experience those things that students would normally get to experience because of his decision with Katie, hey, listen, man, that's on you. That's on you. Absolutely. Well, that's on both of them. But

I agree. Definitely not just on Katie. There's, I don't want to like even say how old I was when I talked to these people, but this will always stick with me and it terrifies me. I had a friend when I was younger, a male friend and he had a girlfriend of about, I don't know, nine months. We were young. And then all of a sudden one day he's like, she's pregnant. I don't know what happened. She's on birth control. I see her take birth control every single day. I make her like take it in front of me because I want to make sure. And he's like, I don't know how this happened. I'm like, this is crazy.

So then the baby's born, right? Nine months later. It was probably like seven months later, but whatever. The baby is eventually born. And then I was talking to her. The baby was about a year old. They were still together, but miserable. He did not want to be with her, and she would not let him go.

And she told me, she was like, you know, I wanted this baby because I thought it would bring us together. I thought it would, like, keep us together. I would give him the family he never had, and I thought he would appreciate that. And I got pregnant on purpose. And I was like, well, you got pregnant on purpose. I said, but he told me he wants you to take your birth control every day. She's like, oh, those were just sugar pills.

Those are just sugar pills. I got them. I got them from like some weird spy store or something. I forget what she said, a spy store or something. They were just sugar pills. But she in her head thought what she was doing would be what he wanted. I don't know if it was malicious or mean. But you never know what's going on in someone's head.

And that behavior that you just described by that person, unacceptable, but here's what I would say. Is it illegal? I've always wondered, is that illegal? Not really, right? I don't know. But here's what I would push back on. The other person, the male party in this. He thought she was on birth control. He would watch or take her pills. What didn't he do? Wear a condom.

Bingo. So, hey, listen, you want to feel a certain way? You want to have an experience a certain way? You're risking it every time. That's on you. I don't think also that people understand what a commitment a child is. You don't. You will. Because when she was talking to me, she was like, I thought it would bring us close. It would bring us closer.

It would bring us closer together. And I'm thinking to myself, I didn't say this all up, but I'm thinking, it, what are you talking about? It's not a band-aid. It's not a, you know, it does not bring people closer together. Those sleepless nights, those hard times, especially when you're young, especially when you don't know each other that well. If there was already cracks there, they're going to be huge gaping fractures now.

So, and the stress is going to be hard. Well, you got Christian now he's going to college. He's trying to, like, live that life. He's going to come back and forth. There's going to be issues, right? With Katie and Christian, why aren't you home more? Or why do you have to go to class today? I need help with the baby.

Things like that. It's going to be very difficult. So Christian and Katie, they kept their promises. They both graduated from high school. And then in the fall, Christian started college. In November, they welcomed a daughter named Jaden. Christian's family said, He was over the moon about being a dad, but things between Christian's parents and his girlfriend, Katie, were still extremely tense.

And because of that, there were no big family get-togethers with the Greggs and the Chisand-Hauls. In fact, by this point, the couple's parents still had not met in person, all right? Which is crazy. Their children have a child together, and you have not met in person. And that's how strained things were. So I want to go back to how I said The Chisholns claimed they didn't have an issue with Katie and Christian dating

But you never met Christian's parents Yeah, no, there's an issue There's an issue. Action speak louder than words. That's what I'm talking about. I mean, they can say They had no issue with Christian. They had no issue with their relationship.

That's what they're going to say now, right? Yeah. That's what they're going to say now. We have a potential murder on our hands. And again, I don't even know the details of the actual shooting. We're going to get there. But this stuff matters.

And I think it's not only about the crime itself, it's about the relationships and the history before that. And you have to go a ways back. And this is something that as a detective you're going to be looking into because you want to understand how Christian was perceived by Katie's parents because, again, just from the teaser, Pat was there. So if you're looking at him or you're looking at someone else, you're not going to just base it off what he tells you about what he felt about Christian. you're going to go back and look at the actual relationship, the dynamic between them and let that be the guide for how they actually felt about each other. So this is extremely important. Yeah, because if you care about your daughter, you care about her partner.

You're going to care about your grandkid. You should care about your grandkid and you should care about that extended family or at least want to know them. You want to have a relationship with your grandchild. I couldn't agree more. Yes. So things are kind of going off the rails here. We're going to take a quick break.

We'll be right back. You've probably heard about HelloFresh, whether through Crime Weekly, even on my YouTube channel, lots of people talk about it because it's so good. They send a chef-crafted recipes and fresh ingredients right to your door. But this summer, HelloFresh made their biggest menu upgrade yet. This isn't the Hello Fresh you remember. Now the menu has doubled. You can choose from 100 recipes every week. And it's not just the number that's grown. The portions are bigger, the meals are healthier, and there's way more variety. I've loved digging into their new seasonal dishes.

The produce is so fresh. It always has been. I've always really raved about HelloFresh's ingredients they send, whether it's the produce or the protein. It's always fresh. It feels like you just walked out of a farmer's market. And there's even more seafood now three times more with no extra cost. Plus steak, high protein meals, and veggie-packed recipes.

Honestly, it feels like they've thought of everyone. And I get why 91% of customers say they feel healthier eating Hello Fresh because I do too. Dinner feels lighter, fresher, and way more satisfying, and nine out of ten people say it's more delicious than what they were cooking before. I would definitely put myself in that group. So we love HelloFresh. I love how easy it is, and it always tastes good, something for the whole family. We love it. Derek's going to tell you how to check HelloFresh out for yourself.

Yeah, absolutely love the taste of the food, love the convenience. HelloFresh has been with us for years, and we're glad to partner up with them because it's a really, really good product. And the best way to cook just got better, go to Hellofresh.com. crime weekly 10 FM, and you can get 10 free meals plus a free item for life. That's one item per box with an active subscription. Free meals applied as a discount on the first box, new subscribers only, and it varies by plan. That's hellofresh.com slash crime weekly 10FM to get 10 free meals plus a free item for life. So after Jaden was born, Katie did stay with her parents,

while Christian continued attending class in Raleigh. He drove back and forth to see Katie and the baby as often as he could, but obviously the constant travel plus his classes, plus everything, it was stressful. So by the end of the semester, he told his parents he was going to drop out. They were obviously devastated. They wanted him to stay in school and they even offered to help take care of Jaden so he could keep going. But on December 15th, Christian dropped out anyway. He went back to his parents' house in Angier and almost immediately they got into a huge argument.

And after that, he moved out and went to stay with the chisunhauls. So they're getting into an argument. Once again, they're mad because they feel that Katie distracted Christian from his future goals. And now that's being proven to them. They sent him to boarding school. That wasn't enough. He went off to college, living his dream. That wasn't enough.

And now he's dropped out. And what are the chances that he goes back? You know, he may have said, I'll go back, you know, after the baby's a little older and I've settled. But what are the chances that he actually would do that? He had a full scholarship. So devastating. So now Christians living with Katie and her parents. And as they settled into this new reality, Christian and Katie started planning a wedding. Things with Christian's parents, Tony and Dolly, were still strained so Christian didn't tell them about the engagement until the wedding plans

were nearly finished. And in the end, Dolly and Tony weren't even invited to the ceremony. Dolly later explained that Christian did not want them there, but he also knew how much tension there was between Katie and their family. Based on his wishes, they made the decision not to go. His sister, Christy, was the only person from his family invited, and while she didn't want to attend, because she wasn't supportive of the marriage, she went anyway because Christian wanted her there. On January 2nd, 2009, Christian and Katie were married by Katie's father, Pat. It was a small wedding, and people later said no one seemed especially excited about it. Christian's friends believed he probably felt pressured. Ultimately, it was his decision

to go through with it, but they thought it must have been difficult for him to say, no, of course. How, I mean, you guys have a baby together. You're living with her family. It does seem kind of as if Christian had gotten himself into this path and he was being pushed along with the tide and just doing what was expected of him because he was a good kid and he wanted to do the right thing. Yep, that's what I'm gathering from it, too, just wanting to do the right thing. Yeah, but that never ends well. It really doesn't. So Christian's friends also said that Katie's father, Pat, didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about marrying them. They felt like he only did it because it was expected, given that the couple had a child together.

Pat later testified that he believed the wedding was, quote, the best thing under the circumstances of having a baby together and wanting to be together. I supported the marriage and the wedding, end quote. It doesn't sound very supportive. It wasn't like, oh, I think I was in complete support of this marriage. They love each other. They're so great together. They're going to make great partners. They're going to be making each other better throughout their lives.

He's like, I mean, I guess given the fact that they had a kid, it was the best possible scenario. I think we're all reading between the lines here. This wasn't what maybe some would want you to believe. But by most accounts, I guess that was true. Christian and Pat actually seemed to get along well. And even Dali and Tony agreed with that. But while Christian and Pat had a good relationship, things between Christian and Katie were getting rockier and rockier. Christian's parents told the media that the couple was young and did navigating parenthood with little

experience which led to a lot of arguing. Still, according to Pat, they worked hard to protect Jaden from their conflicts. He said, quote, she was remarkably shielded from all of the hostility and the upheaval, end quote. So not long after the wedding, Christian enlisted in the army. It was not the route he and his parents had planned on, but he wanted to provide for his family and he thought this was the best way. For basic training, he went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Ten weeks later, in April of 2009, he graduated, and both the Griggs and the Chisholns were there to watch. It was the first time the two families had met face to face. After graduation, Christian was stationed at Fort Gordon in Georgia, so he, Katie, and baby Jaden moved to nearby

Augusta. While on base, Christian quickly earned the respect of the people around him. One fellow soldier said he, quote, quickly made an impression, end quote, and described Christian as being smart and serious about his work. Another soldier said, quote, Whatever we needed him to do or whatever his handle, he would do it. There were no issues. He was all about getting the job done and taking care of the soldiers, end quote. Christian was the kind of person you could rely on. If you needed something, he was there.

In August of 2010, Christian was deployed to Iraq for a year, and it was a particularly difficult deployment with the unit enduring mortar attacks several times a week. One soldier later told the media, quote, it was a pretty common deal to get bombed. It was something you kind of get used to, end quote. And to keep himself grounded, Christian carried photos of Jaden everywhere and proudly showed them off to anyone who would look. One soldier said, quote, she was his world, she was the reason he served, everything was about her, end quote. But things with Jaden's mother, Katie, were far from easy. According to the Griggs, Katie grew more distant during the deployment and began suffering from emotional instability.

Which does make a lot of sense. You're a new mother, a young mother. your new husband is now in Iraq for a year and it's a dangerous situation so you don't know what's going to happen to him over there. You always have to worry about that. You always have to worry about that phone call. And it's hard, you know, to raise a baby alone. She had the help of her parents, but, you know, you want your partner there with you to help you and see the memories and watch your child grow. So very difficult situation. Even so, though, Katie and Christian bought a home in Harlem, Georgia, and Katie moved in there with Jaden while waiting for Christian to return.

and home. The deployment continued to be difficult for Christian and his unit who faced regular mortar attacks. Then, about two-thirds of the way through, tragedy struck. Christian and his unit were traveling outside the base in a convoy when one of the lead vehicles hit an IED, killing two soldiers. Later, once he was safely back on base, Christian called home to tell his parents what happened. He shared that he had been so close to the blast, he could hear the two soldiers inside crying for their moms as they died. Tony later told the media that he still tears up when he talks about that call. He said, quote, it definitely impacted him. And I think it gave him a better sense of what it was all about and really matured him. And he grew up a lot, just realizing just how

delicate and precious life really was and that this was not something to play with and that it was not a game. End quote. That's hard to talk about hearing your friends, people you're serving with crying for their mothers as they died not being able to help them oh you hear about all these stories when these people come back from war and you know we see it in the movies and on television shows but imagine going through boot camp living with each other eating together playing games whatever it might be talking about your children yeah making plans to meet up afterwards once you're back out in civilian life all these things and then yet in one second you're like you just described hearing those same people calling out to their loved ones because they know they're

going to die. They know they're not going to make it. And I have so much respect for our men and women who go over there and serve this country because, yeah, we might not be at war right now, but we could be at war any second. And even when we're not at war, we're still defending different parts of the world. And we hear about these people dying all the time. And they, you know, sacrifice their lives to protect us. Very sad. And I mean, Christian was so young, you know, that I'm sure did mature him, like his father said. But it also, you know, it can do other things. to you. It can cause you to feel differently, emotionally, and mentally than you did before. You're not coming back from that the same person. You were when you enter that situation. And that's for better

and for worse. Yep. Yeah, no matter what. Exactly. Even if you don't experience that, you never come back the same. Yeah. Well, following the IED blast that took two soldiers' lives, Christian and his unit remained in Iraq for four more months, now struggling with even more anxiety and trouble sleeping. Then on August 24th, 2011, their deployment finally ended, and Christian returned to Fort Gordon and moved into the home in Harlem that he and Katie had purchased. Christian continued advancing in the army, and he was even promoted to sergeant, an achievement that came unusually fast. One soldier told the media, quote, when he made it, it was a surprise because we didn't know anybody that had ever made it as fast as he did. He just always had that drive to do more to excel,

end quote. And yeah, as we know from Christian, he always had a plan for what he wanted to do with his life but now he has the most precious thing in his world to do these things for not just himself anymore but his daughter jaden who he loved more than anything in the world and he's like i don't care what it takes how many sleepless nights how many hours and sacrifice if i can make a better life for her then i will do that when you have something greater than yourself to work towards and do things for you'll you can see how fast you can go and how far you can go but things in christian and katie's marriage, we're not going nearly as well. They were still arguing often, and a fellow soldier later said, quote, to me, they were just a really young couple. They just didn't see eye to eye on

things. I really didn't get into the details and what they were arguing about and stuff, end quote. Over the time, the problems only got worse and eventually Katie moved back in with her parents and Angier, taking Jaden with her. And we're going to talk more about those problems with Katie and Christian in a future episode. So put a pin in it. Then on July 30th, 2012, less than a year after his return from Iraq, Christian's military career came to an abrupt end. He was demoted two ranks to specialists and then dishonorably discharged. According to the Griggs, before Christian had deployed to Iraq, he failed a drug test for marijuana. Even so, the army sent him overseas, and after he came back, he was allowed to continue advancing until he became sergeant.

But in the summer of 2012, the army was in the middle of drastic cuts to its fighting force, and rules were being enforced much more strictly. One soldier told the media he suddenly saw people being discharged for things that previously would have only earned a warning. The soldier said, quote, they were just kicking people out left and right pretty much for any little thing. Before it was a slap on the wrist. But once you got back from deployment, it's pretty much like, oh, we're done with you.

End quote. This kind of pisses me off because you sent this young man to Iraq. He had to listen to two of his friends die. You promoted him so quickly because he was so much. hard working and then all of a sudden what you have no use for him he's he's done you wash your hands of him and this is a guy who's depending on this career and this path in life to help him be a respectable man who can provide for his family and now you're taking that away so christians lost college he's lost the military and he's left with no path no real i mean way forward in life and a wife a young wife and a young child

provide for. And that had to have been really hard, especially after coming home from Iraq with that happiness and that burden. I was just going to say that everything that you're carrying with you that you may not disclose to people every single day. Now add on all these other stressors that can really affect someone, both physically and mentally, right? There's a direct correlation between the two. And I feel like somebody like Christian would have almost come back from Iraq and been like, you know, that was awful. I was scared all the time. I lost two people that I knew. I had to listen to this horrific thing. But you know what? At least I have this career now and I'm doing well and I'm able to do what I need for the people around me. And then they were like, psych, no, you don't.

Yeah. And that has to be hard. Yeah, he thought he was one of the lucky ones, one of the ones that survived and was able to come back home to his family, the people he was fighting for. And you're right. He has something that's also allowing him to keep his mind off of those thoughts. And now what? So not only does it affect him financially and his ability to provide for his family, but now he doesn't even have that escape, which could keep his mind occupied on something else other than what's probably internally eating him alive every day. Yeah, making him feel like, okay, I got to keep going at it. I keep going. But now what do you keep going? Exactly.

Yeah. And he has purpose too, right? All these servicemen and women have purpose where they know their objective. They know what they're there for. So when they come home, they're looking for that same purpose. Whatever it is, whatever they're trying to achieve, that myth. right? So when they don't have a mission, it's almost like a German shepherd who's been trained to do drug detection. If you keep them in the cage too long and you don't have them out there practicing every day, they can actually become depressed. Yeah, of course. They have to work. You have to get them out there. So just like this, Christian's looking for something to work toward. He's looking for that mission, that target. And when that was taken away from him, I'm sure mentally it had an impact on him. We see this so much in the men and women who defend the country and come back from overseas, PTSD, depression. anxiety, of course. Of course. How could you be in those scenarios? How could you be in that landscape and come back and even, you know, I kind of retain like your old sense of hope

and childhood dreams that everything's changed. And so much has changed for Christian already in such a short time. He knew what his life was like. And then within a few years, he's in a relationship, he's married, he has a baby, he's dropped out of college, he's gone to Iraq, he's come back. He's gotten, you know, discharged from the military. This is a lot to happen to somebody all in a short period of time, much less a young guy like Christian. Yeah, I was just going to say the same thing. The amount of things that he's gone through at that age, that would, that would break a lot of people. Yeah. Break a lot of people. So we are going to take a quick break. We'll be right back. You know how in true crime cases, there's always that one overlooked detail that ends up

being the smoking gun. Well, in my life, that overlooked detail was my bank statement. I'll admit it. I found out I was still paying for a subscription I hadn't used in months, and this has happened more than once to me. The only reason that I caught a lot of these things before it drained more money was because of Rocket Money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps you get control over all the moving parts of your money. It shows you everything in one dashboard. You're spending your bills, even those sneaky subscriptions you forgot about. And if you see something you don't one anymore, Rocket Money can help you cancel it with just a few taps. And I love the alerts. So you're going to get a notified if your bills increase, if you're close to going over budget,

or even just to say, hey, good job you're staying on track. And I'm not the only one who's impressed. Rocket Money's 5 million members have saved over 500 million in canceled subscriptions, with members saving up to $740 a year when they use all of the app's premium features. So I highly suggest trying Rocket Money out. It has been, it just keeps everything organized in one place. of going to each one of your bank accounts and tracking things, you go to one place, everything's there right in front of you. They'll put it into like a graph for you. They'll put it into all different ways that you can see it. There's ways that you can export it. It's awesome. You guys have to check it out. Derek's going to tell you how. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your

financial goals faster with RocketMoney. Go to rocketmoney.com slash crime weekly today. That's rocketmoney.com slash crime weekly. One more time, rocketmoney.com slash crime weekly. All right. So Christian appealed his demotion and discharge to the Army Review Board. And in the end, the board upheld the discharge itself, but decided the demotion was too harsh, given the length of time between the drug test and the discharge and everything Christian had accomplished in the meantime. Because of this, his discharge was upgraded to honorable. Oh, thanks. Oh, thanks. Thank you for that. Appreciate it. That is a big deal, though. I know it's a big deal, but it doesn't do anything at this point. it's not what you would like but yeah it is better than a dishonorable discharge because that can that'll follow you for years and and anybody sees that on a resume or on your record it's it's a it's a big problem and a lot of people won't touch it because of it now here's the thing though the review board's decision didn't actually come out until after christian was killed so he had no idea that his discharge had been upgraded and i'm sure we both agree that's something that would have meant a lot to him i would agree with that would have been something like he him hope and make him feel better, I guess, about the situation, but he never, he never knew that. So after the discharge, Christian still tried to focus on the positives. His lifelong dream of serving in the army had come to an end. But now he would be able to see his daughter

Jaden more often. At the same time, his relationship with Katie was still unstable, so he moved back in with his parents in Angier. Over the next year, Christian and Katie kept breaking up and getting back together. And during the breakups, Christian wouldn't be able to see Jaden as often, And that weighed heavily on him. I mean, at this point, Jaden's all he's got left. And he told his sister Christy that he felt like he had to jump through hoops to see his own daughter. He described it as the most stressful thing he had ever gone through. And as we talked about, Christian's already been through some stressful things.

So he definitely was feeling the pressure here. And eventually Christian and Katie were able to work things out enough to live together again. This time they moved into an old house on the Chisunhall property right next door to Katie's parents. Yeah, that's a bad start right there. Living with the in-laws, I don't even care if it's a separate house. Living with the in-laws, the power dynamic. The boundary crossing. Yeah, it's, it allows them access to you where they, and this isn't just for the chisand-halls.

This is for a lot of parents where they're like, hey, you're living on my property or you're living under my roof. I'm allowed to question you and your behavior and your decisions because you're not even able to live out on your own. And so if I'm providing for you, then I'm going to ask whatever the hell I want to ask. that's never going to end well. I'm able to question your integrity as a partner, as a husband to my daughter, as a father to my granddaughter. Yeah, not good. Recipe for disaster.

So after moving next door to Katie's parents, Christian started working on renovating the old house, trying to make it a home for the three of them. But things between him and Katie were still not going well. One of Christian's friends said, quote, I could see the frustration starting to build a little bit as he did more to the house and as they started living in it as they started their life. you could see kind of early on, it just wasn't going as he had hoped or as he wanted it to really, end quote. And in the fall of 2013, Christian enrolled at NC State again. And this time he was hoping to become an X-ray technician. Now, for me, I'm thinking Christian didn't have a

passion for being an X-ray technician. Okay? Probably not. But do you know what? It makes money. They make a lot of money. So he was probably like, okay, what can I get a degree in really quick? What can I, you know, get started, where is there a need for this? How many x-ray technicians are getting hired? He probably did his research, saw you can make good money, saw there was a need for it in the area, and he thought this is what I'm going to do. X-ray techs in the comments. I know we're going to have one or two. Do you even need a college degree for it? Okay, so it says you don't need a traditional four-year college degree to become an x-ray technician, but you do need formal education and certification. Most people complete either an associate degree in radiologic

technology, which is the most common path. This takes about two years or they get a certificate or diploma program from a hospital or accredited program. Some schools also offer a bachelor's degree in radiologic sciences, but they're not required for entry level work. So he's probably going to get his two years. That's it. So think about it. You can do it in two years. You can be making six figures. And there's also a necessity for him. There's a need for him. Not a lot of people are out there doing this. So there's a lot of job opportunity. So if you can get the certification, you're more likely to get a job than you would in a lot of career fields. And like I just said, the starting pay is up there.

The median annual salary is between, you know, about $77,000. Some earned more. Some earned less. That's great money. That's great money. I mean, considering you just got a two-year certification and you start off 70, 80 grand. And by the way, that's the median. If you're good at what you do and Christian was a smart guy, you can make, and there's

always overtime as well. There's a lot of opportunity. I mean, even the lowest 10%, the lowest 10% earn about $52,000, which is still good if you're living in a small town and, you know, the standard, the quality of living is good, but the cost of living isn't that high. That's pretty good. I know lawyers who are making 80, 90,000 a year, and that's after seven years of school. And that's after paying off hundreds of thousands of dollars a student debt. So it's the return on investments there for X-ray technicians. If this doesn't work out for me, I might be going there.

I mean, you would, if you move to California, for some reason, radiologic technologists in California earn way more upwards of $120,000 a year. Yeah, there we go. That's where we're going. When this all comes crashing down, we're going to be examining your ribs. Yeah, I'd rather do that than, like, take blood from somebody. I can't do that. I can't even have blood taken from me. Yeah.

Not comfortable. So he's going to, he's just trying to find a career path where he can take care of his family and, you know, be a good person. Now, at that point, Christian and Katie's relationship was back to being on again, off again. Surprise, surprise. But then, in October, they broke up for what seemed like good, and Christian moved to Raleigh to be closer to school. He and Katie had a legal separation agreement drawn up by an attorney that said Christian would see Jaden every weekend. Now, while the paperwork was never officially signed, Christian believed the verbal agreement was enough for now, and he and Katie made plans for Christian to see Jaden the weekend of October 11th.

On the evening of Friday, October 11th, Christian left Raleigh and headed to Angier to pick up Jaden. He was especially excited for this weekend visit because Jaden was going to meet her great grandmother for the first time. But when Christian got to Katie's, they argued, and he had to leave without Jaden. He then went back to his parents' house and stayed there so he could try again in the morning. At around 8 a.m. on Saturday, October 12, Christian went back to Katie's place on her parents' property to get Jaden, but she wasn't there. He then walked over to her parents' home, but no one was there. either. So Christian decided to wait, and while he was outside, he called Katie multiple times, but she didn't pick up. Frustrated, Christian called his dad to say he really wanted to see

Jaden but didn't know where she was. Tony drove over to check on him and found Christian still waiting outside the Chisinaw home. Seeing how upset his son was, Tony suggested they passed the time doing something else and they could come back later, but Christian didn't want to leave. He told his father he wanted to stay right there until he could see his daughter. So Tony left. Then at 10.54 a.m., Christian called his father again. This time he said that Pat and Katie were back at the house, but Jaden and Katie's mom, Lydia, were gone. What Christian didn't know was that Lydia had taken Jaden into town to go shopping. He told his dad that Katie was hiding inside the house while Pat was yelling at him. And at one point, Pat told him to shut the fuck up. Tony told his son, I'm on the

way, hoping he could defuse the situation. Yeah, so this isn't the first time. I'm assuming most of us have heard about a situation like this, whether it was on a true crime podcast or in your personal life, because you have this, a strange couple, there's a separation agreement, there's a child custody thing going on here. And just like a lot of people who go through child custody disputes, there's always an issue that, you know, this person has to drop them off at 2 p.m., and yet they don't show up till 3, or this person is supposed to pick them up at a certain time and isn't there or there's a game being played right where they're both kind of poking the bear and so what it looks like to me or at least sounds like to me and i wasn't there christian

expected to pick up jaden he was excited for the day he had plans you know jadim was going to meet his family all these things right and christian was upset because i'm assuming katie knew this and yet maybe intentionally maybe not did something to kind of throw off his day throw off his time frame. And so Christian, to be fair here, was probably trying to put a point across and say, hey, you know what? I'm not leaving this porch until I have my kid. And I don't think it was a very, like, I wasn't there again. I wasn't there. But it probably was elevated as far as emotions. And maybe even Christian was like, I ain't fucking leaving here until. Yeah, because he went there last night, the night before. And no, no one answered. No one was there. Playing games. Playing games.

So at this point, it's elevating. They knew he was coming. And then he goes back the next. day. And even his dad's like, hey, let's just deescalate. Let's go somewhere. And he's like, no, I'm not giving them. Yeah, I'm not giving them what they want at this point. I mean, Christian loves his daughter. But now we're in a place where, okay, it's finally been made clear, at least to him, me and Katie aren't working. It's not going to work. We've been on again, off again, almost basically since we had our child together. It's been a rough road. This isn't going to work. I love my daughter. I can't be in a healthy relationship with this woman, I'm going to go back to college, live in Raleigh, so I can be closer to school.

Now I only get to see my daughter, who Jaden's four years old at this point, I only get to see her on the weekends, and you're not going to take that from me, too. Yeah, and also let's think about what we're dealing with right now. We're on Pat's porch, his property, his house, Christian is there, and legally doesn't have a right to be there at this point. There is a child custody exchange, and you would hold. it would be civil, but there is a great area there where an argument can be made as we're going to talk about what we're going to talk about if there's a defense claim here. It's that, hey,

this person was on my porch and they were refusing to leave. Just saying, I could see it. What state is this? Well, yeah, we're talking about North Carolina. So it's, you know, it's going to be more acceptable there where if you're on your property, you have a right to defend it. And although Christian was living on the property in a different residence for a period of time, That was no longer the case, and therefore his right to that property has expired. And so if Christian was around, he could argue, hey, listen, I didn't want to be there. I was there to get my kid, which I do have a right to. I had no choice but to go on the property.

So you can see both sides of the story. And I'm going to tell you right now from what I'm hearing here, if everything's on the up and up, I agree with Christian. But from a legal perspective, Pat, Katie, being on their property, Christian refusing to leave, that could be a problem legally for Christian. Yeah, so North Carolina law, not only do they have the stand your ground, but they have castle doctrine.

So with stand your ground, there's no duty to retreat. So if you're in a place you're legally allowed to be, you may stand your ground rather than flee when facing a threat and then the castle doctrine, which goes for your home car, even your workplace. There's a legal presumption that your fear of serious harm or death is reasonable.

So you're allowed fully to use force, including deadly force, without attempting to retreat first. There you go. That's important. And that's why I'm bringing it up because it's not about what we believe is right and wrong when we're looking in the eyes of the law.

And I don't even know what you're going to tell me. I truly have never heard of this story before. You didn't tell us who shot Christian. Not yet. And we're going to get there. And I have my suspicions at this point. I don't think they're going to say he just randomly was standing there and got shot.

But, you know, we'll see. I don't want to get too far ahead. but something tells me Pat and or Katie is going to somehow be connected to this shooting. And something tells me that Christian, being the fact that he was in the military, being in the fact that he was, you know, a smart, a smart guy, his parents were in the military, he was most likely aware of how extensive self-defense laws in North Carolina are, right? He knew about Castle Doctrine. He knew about Stand Your Ground. What I don't think he was really thinking was possible was that any of these people, Katie or anyone from her. her family would actually put a bullet in him. All right, we're going to take our last break. We'll be right back.

You know, in every true crime story is the little details that give someone away, a receipt, a phone ping, a habit they couldn't hide. So here's my question. What's your habit saying about you? If you're ready to switch things up, let me introduce you to Fume Zero, the brand new grab and go flavored air device from Fume. And no, it's not a vapes, not a pipe, not a diffuser. It's just flavored air. Here's why I personally love it. It's single use and preloaded. So it's ready to go right out of the box. It's completely clean. Zero nicotine, zero vapor, zero batteries, just natural plant-based flavored air. And each one lasts for over 10 days of use with six-bolt flavors like crisp mint, peach blush, which is my favorite. And raspberry, which I haven't tried

yet, but I love raspberry. So I'm definitely going to check it out. You can even adjust the airflow for a lighter or stronger draw, and the soft chewable tip is perfect for when you just need something to reach for. It's also designed with this smooth triangular shape and a subtle click mechanism that makes it super fidget friendly, which you guys know, Derek knows, I'll admit, I can't stop playing with it. It's the easiest way to replace an old habit with a better one. And the price, just $24.99.

No commitment, no refills, no batteries. Just open the box, you're good to go. We love fume. You know, we have the fume devices. We really enjoy them. Fume Zero, something a little bit more easier, on the go, portable. Eric's going to tell you to check it out for yourself. Yeah, and it's more economical as well.

So take zero chances with Fume Zero today, available for just 2499. All you have to do is head over to tryfume.com. That's T-R-Y-F-U-M-com to start with Zero. Okay, we're back. So Christian goes to Katie's and her parents' homes on Friday, October 11th. to pick up his daughter, Jaden. He's very excited. He's going to bring Jaden to see his grandmother,

so her great-grandmother for the first time. When Christian gets to Katie's, they have an argument. He leaves without Jaden. He goes to his parents' house. He comes back the next morning, Saturday, October 12th. First thing in the morning, it's 8 a.m. No one is there because they knew he was going to come back. He then goes to Katie's parents' home.

No one's there either. He waits. He calls Katie. No answer. He calls his father. His father's like, I'm coming over. Tony, his father, is like, let's go. Let's do something.

We'll come back later. Christian's like, no, I'm staying. His father, Tony, leaves. So then it's 10.54 a.m. Christian calls Tony again, and he's like, hey, Pat and Katie are at the house. Jaden and Lydia, Katie's mom, they're gone. Pat's yelling at me. He's swearing at me.

And Tony said, I'm on my way. I'll be there soon. Tony's hoping he can smooth everything over. But at 11 a.m., when he arrived at the Chizanhall House, just six minutes after Christian's call, and Tony got out of his vehicle, he said, quote, there was no sight of Christian, there was no sound, no one around, end quote. As he walked closer, he noticed that the window next to the front door was pushed in slightly to the left, maybe six to eight inches. Then to his immediate right, Tony saw his son, Christian,

lying face down on the porch, his head near the far corner away from the door. He was soaked in blood and he was motionless. Tony ran to his son and checked for a pulse. There was a pulse, but he was faint. And Tony was stunned. Only minutes earlier, literally six minutes before this, Christian had called him. And obviously, things that sounded tense, but Christian was alive, just six minutes previous. And Tony never expected to get to the chisandhalls and find his son like this. Moments later, sheriff's deputies arrived and pulled a very confused Tony away from the porch. Not long after, first responders showed up and began CPR. As paramedics worked, Tony called his wife Dolly to tell her something was wrong.

She, Christy, and Christian's great-grandmother rushed to the Chisunhall property. The CPR efforts continued until Christian was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital with his family following behind. At the hospital, doctors determined he had been shot six times with a 22-caliber rifle, once in the abdomen, once on the top of his left shoulder, and four times in the back. Four times in the back. There's a problem. That's a problem. I mean, not with Castle Doctrine, not with stand your ground, technically. But you have a right to defend yourself. But in most states, including at least Rhode Island, if the suspect is fleeing the area, you don't have the legal right to shoot them in the back as they're leaving. Like once they decide to exit that situation or flee the area, you can't continue to shoot them. They're no longer a threat. I remember this. Do you remember? I feel like it's a case that we covered on one of our lives.

before we started Crime Weekly and we're kind of just like getting to know each other. And I feel like there was a guy in Texas who did shoot somebody who was trying to come into his house. And the guy was shot in the back. And because of the Castle Doctrine, it was still considered a self-defense. I don't know. I don't know. It's a hard one. Now, my understanding, even with you have to be in, you have to have a reasonable fear of imminent threat.

And that would be death or bodily harm, something along those lines. And while that attacker is engaging you, you have the right to defend yourself. But once the attacker's retreating or there's no longer that imminent threat of death or bodily harm, you have to seize your defense, your protection. Yeah, it says the right to use deadly force ends when the threat ends. That's right. And even with the stand or ground law, there is a duty to be cognizant of what's going on and understand that if there is still a threat, you're allowed. to defend yourself, but once that threat is no longer existent, you can't continue to pursue that person. That's even in stand-your-ground states. So, yeah, the shots in the back

are a major problem here, and I'm interested to see how this one works out, because if this story is going where I think it's going, you can justify the two shots to the front, the abdomen in the shoulder, especially if you're going to tell me, because I picked up on that little nugget you threw in there, that the window was slightly pushed in. If he was trying to to gain entry. If Christian was trying to gain entry to the home, that could definitely justify some type of self-defense. But if Christian got shot once or twice and then said, oh, man, I got to get out of here, turns around and tries to run away, get off the porch, and someone continues to shoot him, well, then you have an issue. Now, I did find a few cases where self-defense and the

Castle Doctrine worked when the alleged perpetrator had, you know, been shot in the back because they said the person was facing them, but turned suddenly. Yeah. When you fired. Yeah. But that person, you would then have to show that that person had a gun or a knife on them where the shooter felt like, oh, they were turning around to engage me again, even though they were a further distance away, they were still, they still posed a threat of death or bodily

harm. It's a case-by-case basis for sure. But I feel like it's a ballistics thing, too, because I think you would be able to tell if a bullet was shot while somebody was in motion turning or if that person was just back to you completely fleeing. It would look different. Yeah, unless you're going to tell me that Christian was armed, shooting an unarmed man four times in the back is not justified regardless of where you live. I agree. I agree. So these were injuries that 23-year-old Christian would not survive. And at 1237 p.m., he was pronounced dead. It was a shocking loss for the Griggs family, and his mother, Dali later said, quote, our family was devastated. My granddaughter lost her father, my daughter, her brother, and my husband and I will forever ache for the son we lost.

Christian was not only a remarkable son, he was a veteran who served our country honorably and heroically in Iraq. Christian loved his family, his daughter, and life, end quote. And what it made even harder was that at this point, the Griggs family still had no idea what happened on that porch. Soon, investigators would learn that at 10.51 a.m., just three minutes before Christian called his father, both Katie and Pat separately dialed 911 to report that Christian was on their property, threatening them. At 1054, dispatch confirmed they were sending a deputy to the house. Two minutes later, at 1056, Katie called 911 again and said Christian had broken into the home. And at 1057, while she was still in the line, Pat called 911 and reported that he had just shot Christian through the window as he was trying to. trying to get inside. Now, I've already noticed the problem with these accounts. Have you? Of course. Well, she's reporting it three minutes prior to him. And she's saying Christian broke into the

house. Or two minutes prior. Two minutes prior, she's saying Christian broke into the house. And then Pat calls and says, I shot Christian through the window as he was trying to get inside the house. So I didn't see the problem with that. I looked at it as she originally reported he's trying to break in. Pat shoots him and then calls 911 back and say, hey, I just shot someone. So Maybe I misinterpreted what you said there. So at 1051, Katie and Pat separately called 911. Christian's on the property. He's threatening us.

Yep. I'm with you. At 1056, Katie calls 911 and says Christians inside. He's broken into the home. And then at 1057, while she was still on the line with 911, her father, Pat called and said, I shot Christian through the window as he was trying to get inside. So she's saying he's inside. He's broken in.

Pat saying, I shot him while he was trying to break in. Okay. All right. Well, I'm trying to look at it from both sides here. Katie definitely could have been embellishing the story. If you're going to work together, right? If we're going to even speculate that this was done to cover their tracks, right? We know that it's only a six-minute window between before Christian goes in and before Tony arrives, right?

He's on the phone with him. So it's a small window. Not a lot of time to plan there. If they had kind of conjured up something, you think, one person would have called. So just to play devil's advocate here, it could have been a pretty high stress situation. It could have been scary where Katie runs to the back of the house or whatever and she's

calling 911 and Pat's still in the front defending the home and because they're not working in, you know, in conjunction with each other. They both make calls and again, Katie may have embellished the story by saying Christian, my, you know, baby daddy is trying to break in right now or he just broke in. and so she may have not explained it exactly the way it was transpiring at that moment to maybe cause a sense of urgency for law enforcement to arrive a little faster.

That's possible. I'm not saying that's what happened. I'm just saying to me it's not a big as a red flag as I thought you were portraying it to be. That's all I'll say. But I do have other issues. I'm just not going into all those right now. All right. Let's go over the timeline really quick.

Yeah, let's do it again. I think it's important. 1051. So 1051, Pat and Kate. Katie, both call 911 separately. They say, Christian's here on the property. He's threatening us. At 1050, both call.

Got it. At 1054, Christian calls his father, Tony. And he's like, hey, Pat's yelling at me. He's telling me, shut the fuck up, blah, blah, blah. And Tony's like, I'll be right there. Now then, at 1054, dispatch confirmed they're sending a deputy to the house. So right around the same time that Christian calls Tony. The deputy is being dispatched to the house.

Then at 1056, Katie calls 911 again, and she says Christian broke into the house. Christian's in the house. And then a minute later, at 1057, while Katie's still on her 911 call, her father calls 911 and says, I shot Christian through the window as he was trying to get inside. Yeah. So is it possible that at 1056, as Christians leaning through the window, pushing the window in, she's describing that as quote unquote Christian broke into the house because once he crosses that threshold, that's technically breaking in.

You see what I'm saying here? I'm just not. But would it take like a full minute for him to get through the window, I guess? I don't know. No, because I think at 1056, maybe he pushes the window in. And that's when she calls and says, he just broke in. And Pat shoots him and says, God, I just shot him. I'm going to call back because I want them to know I just shot this guy.

And also, I'm still in possession of my guns. So don't shoot me when you arrive. Now, here's the question I have. They're in the same house, Katie and her father, Pat. When Katie's on the phone with 911 and Pat is shooting Christian, are there gunshots heard on the 911 call that Katie's on? You would think, to your point, if what I'm describing is correct, as she's calling, she's calling before he was shot because he just broke in.

And you think if he had already been shot at that point, she would have disclosed that information. My dad just shot the guy as he broke in. She didn't. So you would expect to hear those gunshots. The only thing I will say is in some instances, high frequencies like that, gunshots, they may click on the phone recording. It depends on where she was in the house.

But that's usually more with radio. I mean, you'd assume they were both in the same area. You would hear the gunshots. You'd hear something you would think. I feel like you would. And if you're able to report on what's happening with Christian and your father's close enough to shoot Christian, you guys are in the same general area. Yeah, I would agree with that.

You would expect to hear some type of gunshots and you're telling me you didn't. Well, I didn't say that yet. Okay, that's fine. I will say this to me, this timeline, the six minute window, the two calls. I'm not looking at that and going, oh, that's a red flag. I'm looking at the gunshots to the back way more than the phone calls, the chain of phone calls. So I will talk about the 911 calls and the gunshots in more detail in the next episode. But I've got to dissect that. I do want to tell you, though, that according to the 911 operator, when. And when they were asked if they heard any shots in the recording of Katie's 911 call, that was a no. They heard no shots. And Katie had not reported that her husband had been shot. So I find that very interesting.

And we'll get a little deeper. But I feel like six shots. And you're probably in close proximity because you're able to report to the 911 operator separately. What's happening at the time you both have eyes on Christian, allegedly. So you would think you would hear those shots. shots, no shots were heard. I will say, we do know that the shooting happened within that six-minute window because Christian was talking to his dad before that.

So a few minutes here or there, I don't think it's significant when we're talking about the potential culpability here as far as a criminal act. More than likely, it happened the way these phone calls came in, whether they heard the gunshot or not, because within a matter of minutes, this all went down. One second, Christian's talking to Tony, the next minute Tony's there and Christian's on the ground. So if we had hours go by where there were multiple phone calls and it's possible that Christian had been shot hours earlier and they had kind of created this narrative to support whatever happened, that would be a bigger issue to me. But because we had that call from Christian to Tony, we know that the window, the time frame there is pretty accurate. Yeah, because when Christian called his father, Tony, a deputy had been dispatched by that point.

They're already on the way. There was already problems at the house. This is, nobody's disputing that. Wow. Tony went there for a reason. He knew probably based on the temperament of Christian on the phone that things were not going well. This was going to get bad. I don't think he knew this was going to happen.

No, not this. But listen, we're not trying to, we're not trying to put blame on anybody here. I'm going to let you finish this last paragraph that I can see that you have. And then I'll weigh in on my thoughts before we wrap this one up and wait for part two. Yeah. So I mean, basically, Christian's taken to the hospital. And while that's happening, the detectives began. and their investigation at the Chisholin Hall property trying to piece together what had happened that morning.

And what they found would only raise more questions than answers, as is the case. As is the case and why you chose to cover it. Yeah. So my initial thoughts leaving this episode, I have a couple of things. And two things can be true, that old statement, right? But first off, the time frame lines up. The question's going to be perspective, right? What was the perspective of Katie and Pat at the time of the shooting?

did they feel like their lives were in danger? And unfortunately, we're not going to get the perspective from Christian because he's no longer here to speak with us. But here's what I will say about Christian, and this is not to disparage someone who's no longer with us. We talked a little bit about post-traumatic stress and the things that Christian experienced and coming back from that

and not having maybe a sense of purpose right away and maybe being a little down in the dumps. It's not uncommon for people who come back from these types of situations to have a higher level of irritability, a short fuse, a temper. And it is possible that in this moment, whether it was justified or not, Christian was extremely upset and may have acted out and may have pushed on the window, may have not intended to go through, but could have kicked it, could have pushed it, to try to let them know inside, I'm not playing around and I want to see my daughter, right? Of course, yeah. And so the intention may not have been to hurt them, but it's not about Christian's intention. It's about the perspective of the quote-unquote victims inside.

Here's the problem, right? That's one thing where it would look good for the chis-in-halls. Here is the problem as far as the shooting. We've talked about it. Six shots. What is excessive, right? What angle did Pat have? Was he able to clearly see Christian on the other side of that window where they're blinds there,

were there shades there? Was he shooting just through the shade and not seeing where Christian was on the other side? All he may have been seeing was the blind being pushed in as Christian was pushing on the window. If that's the case, then the argument can be made

that Pat was shooting to stop Christian from coming inside without actually seeing him, therefore not knowing that Christian had turned his back. These are the things that I'm thinking about at this point, and I'm looking forward to hearing

what you have to add to the story that may give us some more context may give us some more clarification. So let's say Christian was going into the house. And yes, you, I guess, technically are allowed to shoot someone if they're coming in your house and you feel that your life is in danger. You don't have to let them get in before you defend yourself. Correct.

Correct. Would you, like, how would you know if Christian had a weapon? Like, what did you think he was going to kill you both with his bare hands kind of thing? I also think there's a reasonable expectation of common sense here where it's like, We know this person. He's married to my daughter. Let's, you know, he wants to see his daughter. Let's see what he has to say.

I don't think he's coming in here to beat us to death with a rock from the front porch. We don't know if he has a weapon. There's no evidence at this point that he does. Why would you just start shooting the father of your grandchild? I'm with you. But at the same time, we're trying to justify the fact that they were refusing to let him in. and Christian was by law breaking into their home. Yeah.

I mean, I try to put myself in their shoes and anybody out there who may be listening or watching this right now where they've been inside their home and they are a victim of a break-in where they're hearing someone kick in their door or kick in their window and what that must feel like. So again, it comes down to what Katie and Pat were feeling at that time

and also what Christian was saying and how he was acting. If he was acting irrational saying, If I get in there, I'm going to F and kill you both. I want to see my kid. All of those circumstances could contribute to a justifiable defense. But again, we're only getting one side of the story. Christian can no longer speak to us. So whatever Pat and Katie say, that's the only story we have.

And it may not be true. Yeah, we don't know what Christian was saying. Yeah. That's right. But he was, from what we see, and this is according to Tony, the window had been pushed in. There was evidence of that. Well, there was evidence that someone had pushed the window and yes. That is fair. That is fair.

I would think by ballistics, and we're going to get into that, they would be able to tell where Christian was when those shots were fired. And if he was somehow closer to the window, close proximity, they may be able to tell that from a certain angle that Christian was in fact inside the window or at least close to being inside the window when he was initially shot. And had he said something? Like maybe like I have a weapon or I have a gun or don't make me use my weapon or something. Maybe he said something like that that they're going to claim made them feel.

I have to imagine that that Christian owned guns as well. I mean, being a military veteran, I have to assume that he was someone who owned firearms. Katie knows him, knows what he's been through probably. And I'm not saying Katie and Pat are the good people in the story. I'm just trying to be fair. What you're saying is there's a reasonable expectation to think that Christian. If he gets inside, he could hurt them. Yeah, if he didn't, if he didn't have a gun or own a gun, he definitely knew how to use one.

This is a trained soldier who has experienced things that no one should have to experience. And Katie, as his significant other for a period of time, saw that firsthand. And I don't want to, I don't want to put them behind bars in this first episode, this first part, without hearing the rest of the story. because I find myself in two spots here where one, Christian should still be here. From what we've gathered so far, I don't think he would have hurt him if he got inside. I think he was just trying to send a message. On the other hand, I feel for people who have gone through something like this and felt like if this person was able to gain entry, it would be the end of their lives.

And we would be sitting here saying, why didn't they just pull the trigger? Why didn't they defend themselves? Why did they allow him to get through the window? Yeah. So I'm torn. I'm really torn and I can understand now why you chose to cover this case. Well, we are going to talk about more things, obviously. We're going to talk more in depth about the issues between Christian and Katie, about the things they were fighting about, about the things that Katie and her father are going to allege in the aftermath.

I just have to be thankful that Jaden wasn't home, that Katie's mother had Jaden out shopping. So that little girl didn't have to be a witness or a part of what happened because we don't know what she would have seen, what she would have remembered, what she would have heard. So there is a small blessing there. But yes, in part two, we're going to get deeper into the details and the context of what the dynamic was like between all of these people and what Katie and Pat are going to allege in the aftermath. What I like about this is law enforcement was there very quickly. So we're talking about six to eight minutes for Pat and Katie to get their story together. If they were interviewed right there, which you'll, you'll disclose next episode. But that doesn't leave a lot of time to come up with an elaborate story.

that's going to make sure it's cohesive and aligned. So this creates a lot of opportunity to make a mistake if they're not on the same page and if they're not telling the truth. So interested to hear what those initial conversations, interviews, if at all, sounded like. So that's going to be good. I can't wait for it. And yeah, I think it's going to wrap it up. Any other final words from you?

Nope, that's it. But make sure you come back next week. And you know with these first episodes, it's always a lot of exposition, a lot of building the background, kind of showing you how we got from there to there. But as you know, when we go further into the series, we're going to get more detailed, break things down even more. But now we have an understanding of what the dynamic is like, what was happening in their lives, where they were at mentally, emotionally, physically. And we will dig deeper and go past the surface next time. What do we always say? Before we get to the end, we got to start at the beginning. I say in order to

understand what happened at the end, you have to go back to the beginning. And you do. You really do. It's context. I love context. I want all the context. No, it's good. We're going to get it done. Guys, as always, thank you for being here. We appreciate the love and the support.

And it's weird, little inception moment going on here. As you're listening or watching this right now, we're meeting many of you, some of you for the first time. And we are truly appreciative of the support you show us and this channel. And also these cases, we would not be here without you. And I can tell you right now, we're having a blast with those who are able to attend and I'm sure we'll have some behind the scenes footage and have some stories when we get back. So until next week, everyone stay safe out there. We'll see you soon. Bye.