On a quiet Saturday morning in the St. Johns Community of Pierce County, Georgia, the lives of a father and son were tragically cut short. On October 25, 2025, 37-year-old Christopher Levi Chaney and his 64-year-old father, Virgil Lester Chaney, were fatally shot at their residence off Georgia Highway 121 South. The Pierce County 911 center received a call about the shooting at 10:02 a.m., and when deputies arrived, they found both men deceased from gunshot wounds. Christopher was a lifelong resident of Pierce County, a 2006 graduate of Pierce County High School, and had worked as an electrician.
The investigation moved swiftly, and within a little over an hour, authorities had a suspect in custody. At 11:19 a.m., Avery James Courson, 30, of Blackshear, was arrested without incident at a Circle K convenience store. The family of the victims stated that they did not know the suspect. While a motive for the killings has not been publicly released, law enforcement sources indicated that Courson was known to have issues with drug addiction and had a pending warrant for shoplifting.
Following his arrest, Avery Courson was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was subsequently indicted on these charges by a Pierce County Grand Jury. Court documents revealed that both Christopher and his father had been shot in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun. Courson was also accused of pointing the weapon at a woman who was present at the home, though he did not fire at her. He was denied bond and is being held in the Pierce County Jail awaiting trial.
