Anthony Andrew Killian, a 24-year-old male from Conover, North Carolina, tragically passed away on July 24, 2018. He was born on September 12, 1993, in Catawba County to Donald Leonard and Roxanne Evans Killian. Anthony was known for his kind heart and willingness to help others. He was an avid outdoorsman, often found hunting, fishing, or working on mechanical projects with his brother.
The circumstances surrounding Anthony's death were harrowing.
On the night of July 24, 2018, Scott Anthony Putnam, a 41-year-old male from Conover, went to the Killian residence armed with a revolver. Putnam knocked on the door of their mobile home, and when Roxanne Killian answered, Anthony came to the door. Putnam shot Anthony in the left cheek and continued to shoot him four more times as he stumbled through the home. Anthony ultimately collapsed into his father's arms and succumbed to his injuries from gunshot wounds to the head, arm, chest, and back.
Putnam also attacked Anthony's parents, shooting Roxanne Killian in the arm and hitting her in the face with the revolver. He attempted to shoot Donald Killian but ran out of bullets. Putnam then fled the scene, discarded the revolver in a wooded area, changed clothes, and hid until his arrest the following morning.
The motive behind the attack was Putnam's belief that Anthony had sexually assaulted one of his daughters, although no definitive evidence supported this claim. Putnam was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. In March 2022, a Catawba County jury found Putnam guilty of these charges, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with additional consecutive sentences for the attempted murder and assault charges.
Anthony Killian's death left a profound impact on his family and community, who remembered him as a generous and loving individual. His untimely passing and the subsequent trial brought to light the tragic consequences of violence and the importance of seeking justice for victims.
