An otherwise quiet neighborhood in Angier, North Carolina, was riddled with gunfire early one morning in October 2012. Christian Griggs, a young parent, was found with gunshot wounds on the porch of an apartment building. That ended the incident. The latest episode of True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here on Investigation Discovery focuses on investigating Christian’s death and determining whether or not the claims made in self-defense were warranted. If this interests you too, don’t worry; We’ll cover you.
How did Christian Griggs die?
Christian Griggs was said to be a handsome young man who was also kind and made friends readily with others. He had a nomadic childhood, having been born to parents who served in the Army, eventually settling with his family in Angier, North Carolina. It was there that he made the connection that led to his marriage to Katie Chisenhall in January 2009, nearly a year after the couple welcomed Jaden into the world. Before joining the military to help support his family and care for his daughter Jaden, Christian received his education from North Carolina State University. After serving nearly three years, he eventually went back to school to study computer engineering.
Although Christian and Katie were no longer together at the time of the incident, they shared parental responsibility for their son Jaden. On October 12, 2013, the 23-year-old picked up her daughter by going to Katie’s house. But after a flurry of activities, Christian’s father Anthony, aka Tony, spotted his son face down on the porch of Katie’s father’s house. Tony is also Christian’s middle name. He had been shot at six times with an A.22 caliber rifle; The wounds were once on the left shoulder, once on the abdomen and four times on the back.
Also Read: Who Are Franklin Gebhardt and William Moore Sr.? Explained murder of Timothy Coggins
Who is to blame for Christian Griggs’ death?
Despite the fact that Christian and Katie’s marriage got off to a good start, things gradually began to deteriorate. The couple decided to end their relationship in the spring of 2013 after spending about four years together and making it through a move to Georgia. While Christian was watching Jaden every other weekend at the time, Katie and her family conveniently lived right next 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 a fight with Katie instead. At the time, Katie told authorities that Christian broke a window in her home to get revenge for a “close friend” who took Jaden to the zoo and that’s why Christian took an air conditioner out of the house House got thrown out the window.
Christian stopped by again the next morning, but neither Katie’s house nor her father’s had anyone to answer the door for him when he knocked. He contacted his father Tony, who strongly advised him to leave and come back at a later date, but the 23-year-old was determined to stay where he was. Around the same time, Katie and Pat headed to Raleigh, North Carolina to seek a restraining order against Christian. Pat later told police that they arrived home around 10:30 am on October 12, but Christian arrived at her apartment a few minutes later.
Pat, who is a pastor, reported that Christian wanted to see his wife and acted angry and aggressive. By this time Katie had already entered the house. Pat allegedly lied to Christian about getting a restraining order, even though she wasn’t given such an order in Raleigh that day. Pat continued, “And the moment I said that, he immediately turned into an angry maniac, jumped out of the car and started swearing at me, threatening me and pushing me back.” He didn’t hit me, but he pushed me and pulled my shoulders back and he threatened me.”
Calls to 911 were made by Katie and Pat as of 10:51am. Initially, Katie said that Christian threatened her and her father, and two minutes later the conversation was cut off. Katie reported that Christian broke into the apartment on a second call she made at 10:58am that morning. Pat had called just seconds earlier to say Christian had been making threats and this call came just before that. Then, about a minute later, Pat claimed he shot and killed his estranged son-in-law as he allegedly entered the house through a window. Pat’s claim came after a heated argument between the two parties.
The evidence suggests that Pat did not disclose this fact to either the dispatcher or Christian, even though Jaden wasn’t even home at the time. The latter had just finished a conversation with his father minutes before he was shot and was lying on the porch when he was killed. When Tony got home he found that his son was motionless and he also noticed that there was no broken glass anywhere. He reported seeing little more than one window pushed inward a few inches, with the blinds still in place. When asked, Pat stated that he only remembered his windshield being smashed inwards, while Christian allegedly continued to make threats, but he couldn’t remember shooting him.
Christian’s family did not believe Pat’s claim that he shot Christian from inside the house where they were staying. A private investigator they hired concluded that the shooter must have been on the porch at the time of the shooting, as the upward trajectory of the four bullets that hit Christian in the back indicated the shooter was there. dr Lauren Scott, who was the Associate Chief Medical Examiner at the time of the incident, stated in May 2015 that Christian was either bent over or lying face down when he was injured by all four bullets. Pat’s version of the story was analyzed by Scott, who concluded that Pat’s stance “is not usually consistent with claims of self-defense.”
Not only that, no bullet holes were discovered in the house, and only three shells were discovered. In addition, according to police, Christian’s fingerprints were nowhere to be found on the window or window frame, and Christian’s body did not appear to have any injuries from glass panes. On the other hand, authorities suspected that Christian had turned in the window after being hit in the shoulder and abdomen, resulting in gunshot wounds in the back.
Also Read: How Did Molly Dattilo Die? Was she murdered?
Where can I find Pat Chisenhall right now?
On October 12, 2013, the investigation was dropped because authorities believed Pat Chisenhall had acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Christian Griggs. On the other hand, Christian’s family didn’t back down and insisted that Pat be held accountable. In April 2015, they instituted legal action against him for wrongful death. In December 2018, he testified in court, stating again that he could not remember what happened that morning. In addition, Pat has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The timing of the calls to 911 also cast doubt on the timing of events, as around the time Pat claimed to have shot Christian, Katie was on the phone with a 911 operator just a few feet away. This casts doubt on Pat’s statement that he shot Christian. However, the dispatcher never heard gunshots. In 2018, a jury ruled that Pat had not acted in self-defense when he fired his gun, and they awarded Christian’s estate $250,000 in damages. Jaden, Christian’s daughter, would get the money. It appears that Pat is still based in North Carolina at this time and has avoided public attention since the decision was delivered. According to the information we have, he is still serving as pastor at Abundant Life Worship Center in Wake County, North Carolina.
What happened that day
When Tony Griggs arrived at the Chisenhall residence, he spotted his 23-year-old son Christian face down on the 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 Christian was lying face down when the four bullets were fired into his back from an upward trajectory.
If surveillance video was captured the day Christian was murdered, you could be watching the crime scene being manipulated and staged before your very eyes. Three spent cartridge cases were missing from the scene, and Pat Chisenhall’s child was allowed to approach an area still under investigation on several occasions.
Pat Chisenhall claimed he acted in self-defense in accordance with Castle Doctrine; However, in 2018 a civil jury concluded that Christian’s death was not the result of self-defense and that Pat Chisenhall was responsible for his son-in-law’s wrongful death. Pat Chisenhall must be held accountable for the death of Christian Griggs and charges must be brought against him.
READ ALSO: How Did Nichole Payne Die After Being Murdered? Who was her killer?