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.
Ex-youth ministry director to serve 58 years for Thanksgiving triple killing; cellphone footage of murders shown in court | Crime, Police & Fire | richmond.com
See also:: Youth pastor arrested for allegedly murdering family on Thanksgiving
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