Christian Griggs Murder: Where is Pat Chisenhall Now? – One morning in October 2012, shots were fired in a quiet area in Angier, North Carolina. Due to this, a young father named Christian Griggs was discovered shot to death on a home’s front porch. The investigation into Christian’s killing and whether or not self-defence claims were legitimate are the main topics of the most recent episode of Investigation Discovery’s episode “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here.” So, if you’re also interested in learning more about Christian Griggs’ murder case, we can help.
Must Read: Where is Christian Griggs’ Ex-Wife Katie Griggs Now?
Christian Griggs’ Cause of Death
Christian Griggs was regarded as a charming, friendly, and caring young man. He moved about a lot as a child of Army parents before settling with his family in Angier, North Carolina. In January 2009, almost a year after the two delivered their daughter Jaden, he wed Katie Chisenhall there. Before joining the Army to care for his daughter Jaden, Christian attended North Carolina State University. Before returning to the university to pursue computer engineering, he served for almost three years.
Christian and his wife, Katie, who shared custody of their son Jaden at the time of the event, were divorcing. The 23-year-old visited Katie’s home on October 12 to pick up their daughter. After a flurry of activity, Christian’s father, Anthony, also known as Tony, discovered his kid lying face down on the front porch of Katie’s father’s house. With a .22 calibre rifle, he had been shot six times: once in the left shoulder, once in the midsection, and four times in the back.
Who killed Christian Griggs and Why?
Christian and Katie’s marriage had a good beginning, but things started to change with time. The couple separated in the spring of 2013 after spending approximately four years together and surviving a move to Georgia. At the time, Christian had Jaden every other weekend, and Katie shared a home in Angier with her family. Christian attempted to pick up Jaden that evening on October 11, 2013, but instead, he quarrelled with Katie. At the time, Katie informed the police that Christian had broken out the AC unit from a window at her home because he was upset about a “close friend” taking Jaden to the zoo.
Christian stopped by once more the following day, but neither Katie nor her father’s house had a doorman. He dialled his father Tony’s number, but the 23-year-old was insistent about remaining. Tony pleaded with him to leave and come back later. To obtain a restraining order against Christian, Katie and Pat had left for Raleigh, North Carolina, around that time. On October 12, Pat informed the police that they arrived home at 10:30 a.m., but Christian didn’t show up until a little while later.
A pastor, Pat, claimed that Christian was furious and demanded to see his wife. Katie was in the house at that point. Pat allegedly lied to Christian about receiving a restraining order even though he didn’t receive one in Raleigh that day. And as soon as I said that, he exploded into wrath, leapt out of the car, and started cursing me, threatening me, and pushing me away; Pat continued. He didn’t physically strike me but pushed my shoulders back and threatened me.
Katie and Pat started dialling 911 at 10:51 am. The call began with Katie complaining that Christian threatened her and her father, ending two minutes later. Katie stated that Christian had broken into the house in a second call she made at 10:58 am. Pat had just called to say that Christian had been threatening moments earlier. A minute or so later, Pat allegedly shot his estranged son-in-law as he allegedly broke in via a window.
Jaden wasn’t even home then, but the evidence showed Pat didn’t let Christian or the dispatcher know. Before being shot, the latter had contacted his father while lying on the porch. There was no shattered glass anywhere; Tony noticed when he arrived to discover his son motionless. He claimed to have only seen a window that had been slightly pushed in, and the blinds left alone. When questioned, Pat claimed he could not recall shooting Christian and only remembered his front glass pane shattering inward as the latter allegedly kept threatening.
Christian’s family refuted Pat’s assertion that he shot Christian inside the home. Given the upward trajectory of the four bullets that struck Christian in the back, a private investigator they hired speculated that the gunman must have been on the porch when the shots were fired. Dr. Lauren Scott, the Associate Chief Medical Examiner, claimed that Christian was either face down or bent over when the four rounds struck him in May 2015. According to Scott’s research, the viewpoint “is often incongruous with a claim of self-defense,” which was Pat’s version of events.
In addition, just three round shells were discovered, and the house had no bullet holes. Additionally, according to the detectives, Christian’s prints weren’t found on the window or the window frame, and his body didn’t seem to have any wounds from glass-related incidents. However, the police thought Christian turned while he was in the window after being shot in the back and suffering injuries to the shoulder and abdomen.
Where is Pat Chisenhall Now?
On October 12, 2013, the police declared the case closed after determining that Pat Chisenhall killed Christian Griggs in self-defense. But Christian’s family was determined to hold Pat accountable and would not give up. In April 2015, they asserted wrongful death against him. He took the witness stand in December 2018 and reiterated that he couldn’t recall what had happened that morning. Pat has since received a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The timing of the 911 calls also threw into question the sequence of events because Katie was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher only a few feet away at the same time Pat claimed to have shot Christian. But there were no gunshots heard by the dispatcher. A jury awarded $250,000 in damages to Christian’s estate in 2018 after concluding that Pat did not use self-defense. The money will be given to Christian’s daughter, Jaden. For the time being, it appears that Pat continues to reside in North Carolina and has kept a low profile ever since the ruling. As far as we know, he is still a pastor in Wake County, North Carolina’s Abundant Life Worship Center.
