In the quiet town of Kershaw, South Carolina, a tragedy unfolded that would forever alter the lives of five children. Christy Lynn Rozier, a 34-year-old Caucasian woman, was a dedicated mother and the General Manager at a Zaxby's restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, with dreams of one day becoming a chef. Her life was cut short on December 11, 2022, in an act of violence that occurred within the supposed safety of her own home.
On that day, while she was with her five children, a fatal altercation took place.
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office received a harrowing 911 call after four of the children, ranging in age from one to sixteen, fled to a neighbor's house for help, reporting that their father had shot their mother. When deputies arrived at the residence, they found Christy on the bedroom floor with multiple gunshot wounds; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her domestic partner and the father of four of the children, Hurley Dean Braddy, was taken into custody without incident. The youngest child, a one-year-old, was found unharmed in a high chair in the kitchen.
In the aftermath of the tragic event, Hurley Dean Braddy, who was 43 years old at the time, was charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. To spare the children the additional trauma of testifying in court, a plea deal was reached. Braddy pleaded guilty to the murder of Christy Lynn Rozier and was subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison. The devastating incident left a lasting impact on the community and, most profoundly, on the five children who lost their mother in such a violent manner. A GoFundMe campaign was established to assist with funeral expenses and to provide support for the children as they faced a future without their mother.
