An otherwise quiet neighbourhood in Angier, North Carolina, was rocked by the sound of gunfire early one morning in October of 2012. Christian Griggs, a young parent, was found slain with bullet wounds on the front porch of a residence. This marked the conclusion of the incident. The most recent episode of “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here” on Investigation Discovery focuses on the investigation into Christian’s death and determines whether or not the self-defense claims that were made were justifiable. If this is something that interests you as well, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.
How Did Christian Griggs Die?
It was said that Christian Griggs was a handsome young man who was also kind and readily made friends with others. He had a nomadic childhood after being born to parents who served in the Army and eventually settled down with his family in Angier, North Carolina. There, he made the connection that led to his marriage to Katie Chisenhall in January 2009, close to a year after the couple had welcomed Jaden into the world. Before joining the military to support his family and care for his daughter Jaden, Christian received his education at North Carolina State University. After having served for close to three years, he eventually went back to school to study computer engineering.
Despite the fact that Christian and Katie were no longer together at the time of the incident, they shared parental responsibilities for their son Jaden. On October 12, 2013, the 23-year-old picked up their daughter by going to Katie’s house. However, after a flurry of activity, Christian’s father, Anthony, also known as Tony, discovered his son lying face down on the front porch of Katie’s father’s house. Tony is also Christian’s middle name. A.22-caliber rifle had been used to shoot him six times; once in the left shoulder, once in the abdomen, and four times in his back were the locations of the wounds.
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Who is to Blame for the Death of Christian Griggs?
In spite of the fact that Christian and Katie’s marriage got off to a strong start, things gradually started to deteriorate. The pair chose to end their relationship in the spring of 2013, after having spent around four years together and having made it through a move to Georgia. While Christian watched Jaden every other weekend at that time, Katie and her family were conveniently located right next door to each other in Angier. On the evening of October 11, 2013, Christian made an attempt to pick up Jaden; however, he ended up having an argument with Katie instead. At the time, Katie stated to the authorities that Christian had broken a window at her home in order to retaliate for a “close friend” taking Jaden to the zoo, and that this was the reason why Christian had thrown an air conditioning unit out of the window.
Christian stopped by once more the following morning, but neither Katie’s nor her father’s house had anyone to answer the door when he knocked. He contacted his father, Tony, who strongly advised him to leave and come back at a later time, but the 23-year-old was determined about staying where he was. At about the same time, Katie and Pat had made their way to Raleigh, North Carolina, in order to obtain a restraining order against Christian. Pat later said to the police that they arrived home on October 12 at approximately 10:30 a.m., but Christian arrived at their residence a few minutes later.
Pat, who is a pastor, reported that Christian had wanted to see his wife and was acting upset and aggressive. At that point, Katie had already entered the house. Pat allegedly lied to Christian about having a restraining order, despite the fact that on that day in Raleigh, she did not obtain such an order. Pat continued, “And the moment I said that, he immediately turned into a raging maniac, leapt out of the car, and started to cuss at me, threaten me, and push me back.” He didn’t hit me, but he shoved me and put my shoulders back, and he threatened me.”
Calls to 911 were placed by Katie and Pat beginning at 10:51 in the morning. Initially, Katie said that Christian was making threats toward both her and her father, and then two minutes later, the conversation was disconnected. Katie reported that Christian had broken into the residence in a second call that she placed at 10:58 in the morning. Pat had called only seconds before to say that Christian had been making threats, and that call came just before that. Then, about a minute later, Pat asserted that he had shot his estranged son-in-law when the latter allegedly entered the house through a window. Pat’s claim came after a heated argument between the two parties.
The evidence suggested that Pat did not communicate that fact to either the dispatcher or Christian, despite the fact that Jaden was not even at home at the time. The latter had just finished a conversation to his father minutes before he was shot and was lying on the front porch when he was killed. When Tony arrived home, he discovered that his son was motionless, and he also observed that there was no broken glass anywhere. He reported seeing little more than a window that had been pushed inward by a few inches, with the blinds still in place. Pat indicated, in response to being questioned, that the only thing he remembered was his front glass pane smashing inward while Christian allegedly kept threatening, but that he couldn’t remember shooting him.
The family of Christian did not believe Pat’s assertion that he had shot Christian from inside the house where they were staying. A private investigator who was hired by them came to the conclusion that the shooter must have been on the porch at the time the rounds were fired because the upward trajectory of the four bullets that impacted Christian in the back indicated that the gunman was there. Dr. Lauren Scott, who was the Associate Chief Medical Examiner at the time of the incident, indicated in May 2015 that Christian had either bent over or been lying face down when he was wounded by all four bullets. Pat’s version of the tale was analysed by Scott, who concluded that Pat’s attitude “is typically incongruous with a claim of self-defense.”
Not only that, but there were no gunshot holes detected inside the house, and there were only three shell shells discovered. In addition, according to the police, Christian’s fingerprints were nowhere to be found on the window or the window frame, and it didn’t appear that Christian’s body had any injuries from being sliced by glass. On the other hand, the authorities suspected that Christian had rotated while he was in the window after being hit in the shoulder and the abdomen, which resulted in gunshot wounds to the back.
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Where Can I Find Pat Chisenhall Right Now?
On October 12, 2013, the inquiry was closed because the authorities were convinced that Pat Chisenhall had acted in self-defense when he shot Christian Griggs. On the other hand, Christian’s family refused to let up and insisted that Pat be held responsible. In April of 2015, they initiated legal action against him for wrongful death. In December of 2018, he testified before the court and stated once again that he was unable to recall what took place earlier that morning. In addition to that, since then, Pat has been given a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The timing of the calls to 911 also cast doubt on the timeline of the events since, around the time Pat claimed to have shot Christian, Katie was on the phone with a 911 operator just feet away. This cast doubt on Pat’s account that he shot Christian. However, the dispatcher did not hear any gunshots at any time. In 2018, a jury decided that Pat did not act in self-defense when he fired his gun, and they awarded Christian’s estate a sum of money equal to $250,000 in damages. Jaden, Christian’s daughter, would get the money. It appears that Pat is still residing in North Carolina at this time, and he has avoided public attention since the decision was handed down. According to the information that we have, he is still serving as a pastor at the Abundant Life Worship Center in Wake County, North Carolina.
What Happend that Day
When Tony Griggs arrived at the Chisenhall residence, he discovered his 23-year-old son Christian lying face down on the front porch. Christian had been shot six times: once in the abdomen, once in the shoulder, and four times in the back from an upward trajectory. This suggests that Christian was lying face down when the four bullets were discharged into his back from an upward trajectory.
If there was surveillance video taken on the day Christian was murdered, you would be able to observe the crime scene being tampered with and staged before your very eyes. There were three spent shell casings missing from the scene of the crime, and Pat Chisenhall’s kid was allowed multiple times to approach an area that was still under investigation.
Pat Chisenhall maintained that he acted in self-defense in accordance with the Castle Doctrine; but, in 2018, a civil jury came to the conclusion that Christian’s death was not the result of an act of self-defense and that Pat Chisenhall was responsible for the wrongful death of his son-in-law. Pat Chisenhall has to be held accountable for the death of Christian Griggs, and charges should be made against him.
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