VA - Youth Pastor kills family on Thanksgiving, Chester, 24 Nov 2017

[SeesSeas]

Thank you again for getting me these dates SeesSeas!

Very much appreciated!


ETA: Does that mean the 6 cases will ALL be in the Chesterfield General District Court?

I don't find a web link to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
All 6 cases are listed in the Circuit Criminal Division:
http://ewsocis1.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/Search.do
Chesterfield County Circuit - Criminal Division
CaseNumber Defendant Charge Hear Date Status
CR18F00975-01 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND MURDER-FIRST DEGREE 06/25/2018 Active
CR18F00975-02 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND USE FIREARM IN COMM FELONY 06/25/2018 Active
CR18F00981-01 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND MURDER 06/25/2018 Active
CR18F00981-02 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND MURDER 06/25/2018 Active
CR18F00981-03 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND USE FIREARM IN COMM FELONY 06/25/2018 Active
CR18F00981-04 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND USE FIREARM IN COMM FELONY 06/25/2018 Active

 

[Niner]

Monday, June 25th:
*Motion to Suppress Hearing (@ 9am ET) – VA – Andrew E. Buthorn (36) (BF of step-dau) (Nov. 23, 2017) – Christopher Raymond Gattis (58) – charged (4/10/18) & indicted (5/21/18) with 1 count of 1st degree murder & 1 count of use of firearm in commission of a felony. Held w/o bond; on suicide watch.
and victims: Jeanett L. Gattis (58) (wife) & Candice L. Kunze (30) (step-daughter) – charged (4/10/18) & indicted (5/21/18) with 2 counts of 1st degree murder & 2 counts of use of firearm in commission of a felony.
All cases will be tried in the Chesterfield County Circuit/Criminal Div. Court.

 

[Niner]

Video evidence introduced in triple homicide case | Chesterfield Observer

Chilling footage from the body-worn camera of the first Chesterfield police officer on the scene of a triple homicide on Thanksgiving could prove pivotal as the case proceeds to trial.

Following a suppression hearing on Monday, Circuit Court Judge Timothy J. Hauler ruled that statements made by the accused, Christopher R. Gattis, before being read his Miranda rights are admissible in a jury trial set for Nov. 7-9.

Can anyone get into the Chesterfield County court site & see when next hearing might be?

TIA!

 

[SeesSeas]

Video evidence introduced in triple homicide case | Chesterfield Observer



Can anyone get into the Chesterfield County court site & see when next hearing might be?

TIA!

http://ewsocis1.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/circuit.jsp

CaseNumber Defendant Charge Hear Date Status
CR18F00975-01 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND MURDER-FIRST DEGREE 11/09/2018 Active
CR18F00975-02 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND USE FIREARM IN COMM FELONY 11/09/2018 Active
CR18F00981-01 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND MURDER 11/09/2018 Active
CR18F00981-02 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND MURDER 11/09/2018 Active
CR18F00981-03 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND USE FIREARM IN COMM FELONY 11/09/2018 Active
CR18F00981-04 GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND USE FIREARM IN COMM FELONY 11/09/2018 Active


All SIX cases appear to have this same detail for Hearings:
Chesterfield County Circuit - Criminal Division
Case Details
Case Number:CR18F00975-01
Filed:04/12/2018
Commenced by:Indictment
Locality:COMMONWEALTH OF VA
Defendant:GATTIS, CHRISTOPHER RAYMOND

Hearings
# Date Time Type Room Plea Duration Jury Result
1 05/21/2018 9:00AM Grand Jury True Bill
2 06/25/2018 9:00AM Suppress 4 1 hour(s) Denied
3 11/07/2018 9:00AM Jury Trial 4
4 11/08/2018 9:00AM Jury Trial 4
5 11/09/2018 9:00AM Jury Trial 4

 

[Niner]

Thanks SeesSeas!

On the 11/7, 11/8 & 11/9 - jury trial - are they expecting it to go just 3 days? Or how do you read it as?

Also wondering "what" was going to be suppressed which was denied....

 

[SeesSeas]

Thanks SeesSeas!

On the 11/7, 11/8 & 11/9 - jury trial - are they expecting it to go just 3 days? Or how do you read it as?

Also wondering "what" was going to be suppressed which was denied....

The court website doesn't provide much detail. It seems like an ancient format. I don't see any way to view a document. And I keep getting bumped out.

That is odd wording for the Jury Trial dates. Dunno. . . I'd think it would last much longer than 3 days. Maybe 11/7 and 11/8 are for Voir Dire and then the trial starts on 11/9. Just a guess.

I can't figure out "what" the Motion to Suppress was for. Perhaps it has something to do with the April Transcripts of G. GATTIS TESTIMONY / A. GATTIS TESTIMONY / D. GATTIS TESTIMONY

Here are the case details for the first listed case:
Virginia Court Case Information
Chesterfield County Circuit - Criminal Division
Pleadings/Orders Detail

Case Number: CR18F00975-01

Filed Type Party Judge Book Page Remarks
04/12/2018 Gd Paperwork MCC TJH
04/12/2018 Gd Paperwork MCC TJH
04/12/2018 Gd Paperwork MCC TJH AUTOPSY
04/24/2018 Transcript HMS TJH G. GATTIS TESTIMONY 04918
04/24/2018 Transcript HMS TJH A. GATTIS TESTIMONY;040918
04/24/2018 Transcript HMS TJH D. GATTIS TESTIMONY;040918
04/26/2018 Appointment Of Counsel MCC LSB J ROCKECHARLIE
05/10/2018 Motion CAS TJH MOTION TO SUPPRESS
05/11/2018 Scheduling Order SMC LSB SET MOT HEARING/SUPPRESS
05/21/2018 Indictments WPC
06/12/2018 Response JDS TJH CWA TO DEFT MOT TO SUPPRES
06/29/2018 Order MMC TJH 5-25-18 MOT SUPPRESS
06/25/2018 Other MMC TJH WAIVER OF SPEEDY TRIAL

 

[Niner]

Ah - the motion to suppress I believe was his statements to police before he was given his Miranda rights!
And you are probably right - about the 3 days - Jury selection on 11/7 & 8, with trial starting on 11/9. I'll go with that!

 

[DianaElaine]

Is there a thread started for the trial?

tia

 

[SeesSeas]

Is there a thread started for the trial?

tia

AFAIK, there is only this thread. Trial is four months away. Maybe longer if there are the typical delays.

 

[DianaElaine]

AFAIK, there is only this thread. Trial is four months away. Maybe longer if there are the typical delays.

Thanks SeeSeas!

 

[mom2tee]

Ex-youth ministry director to serve 58 years for Thanksgiving triple killing; cellphone footage of murders shown in court

Plea agreement. All over local news.

 

[Yvettea]

The information at the link is astounding. He says they ganged up on him yet he shot them in the back. I don’t see how he will be able to minister to anyone.

 

[mom2tee]

The information at the link is astounding. He says they ganged up on him yet he shot them in the back. I don’t see how he will be able to minister to anyone.

I agree. And I am too cheap to subscribe to the digital edition of the paper but there is another article that claims they bullied him via texts. Sigh.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Ex-youth ministry director to serve 58 years for Thanksgiving triple killing; cellphone footage of murders shown in court

Plea agreement. All over local news.

Good, lengthy article, thank you. An interesting takeaway IMO: parole was abolished for felonies in Virginia in 1995

 

[Kankan]

Thanks for posting the article. Good info. This is one sick man.

 

[Niner]

Can someone give a 10% synopsis of that article - it's blocked here in the EU....

was he sentenced or is there a date for that?

TIA! Much appreciated.

 

[SeesSeas]

Can someone give a 10% synopsis of that article - it's blocked here in the EU....

was he sentenced or is there a date for that?

TIA! Much appreciated.

Sure.
Ex-youth ministry director to serve 58 years for Thanksgiving triple killing; cellphone footage of murders shown in court

• Aug 15, 2018

A former youth ministry director for a Chester church effectively was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars Wednesday after pleading guilty to fatally shooting his wife, his step-daughter and her boyfriend at the family’s home on Thanksgiving night.

In a plea agreement that came together unexpectedly in recent weeks, Christopher R. Gattis, 59, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony use of a firearm in the Nov. 23 killings of his wife, Jeanett L. Gattis, 58, his stepdaughter, Candice L. Kunze, 30, and her boyfriend, Andrew Buthorn, 36, of Olympia, Wash., who was celebrating Thanksgiving with the family.

In accordance with the agreement, Chesterfield Circuit Judge David E. Johnson accepted Gattis’ pleas and sentenced him to 100 years in prison for each of the three murder counts with 45 years suspended on each. The three, 55-year terms will be served concurrently. Gattis was sentenced to an additional three years for using a firearm in the killings.

That gives him an active sentence of 58 years, which was equal to his age at the time of the killings. Because parole was abolished for felonies in Virginia in 1995, Gattis’ 58-year term is effectively a life sentence.
[...]
Now that he likely will spend the rest of his life in prison, Rockecharlie [Defense attorney John Rockecharlie] told the court that Gattis hopes to minister to fellow inmates, “and hopefully atone for what he did.”

Gattis declined to make a statement before the judge pronounced the sentence.
[...]