In the winter of 2015, the small town of Washburn, Missouri, was shaken by a brutal crime that claimed the lives of two family members and tore a young family apart. On January 5, 2015, 29-year-old Casey Lee Brace, a female, was tragically killed in her grandfather's home. Her life was cut short in a violent encounter that also resulted in the death of her 76-year-old grandfather, Herbert Townsend.
The events of that day unfolded when Christopher Paschall, Casey's 37-year-old
ex-boyfriend and the father of her two-year-old daughter, arrived at the residence. Hostilities escalated, leading to Paschall fatally shooting both Casey and her grandfather. Casey died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Herbert Townsend, despite being shot multiple times, managed to call 911. Before succumbing to his injuries at a hospital, he was able to identify Paschall as the assailant to a responding sheriff's deputy. Following the shootings, Paschall fled the scene, taking his and Casey's young daughter with him, which triggered a parental kidnapping alert.
Law enforcement swiftly located and arrested Paschall in Arkansas. The investigation that followed painted a grim picture of a tumultuous relationship. It was revealed that in the days leading up to the murders, Paschall had sent numerous threatening text messages to Casey and she had sought a protective order against him. Deputies had even been conducting extra patrols by the Townsend home out of concern for the family's safety.
Christopher Paschall faced a series of serious charges for his actions. Initially charged with one count of first-degree murder, assault, and armed criminal action, the charges were later amended to two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, and one count of parental kidnapping. In September 2017, a jury found Paschall guilty on all counts. He received two sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders, in addition to lengthy consecutive sentences for the other charges, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the devastating loss he inflicted on the Brace and Townsend families.
