On Thanksgiving Day in 2017, a holiday meant for gratitude and family togetherness turned into a scene of unimaginable horror in a Chester, Virginia home. Jeanett Gattis, a 58-year-old White female, was tragically killed in a violent outburst that also claimed the lives of her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. What began as a family gathering ended with three people dead and a community reeling in shock, left to grapple with how a man known as a youth pastor could be responsible for such a
brutal act.
The tragedy unfolded at the Dogwood Ridge Court residence Jeanett shared with her husband, Christopher Gattis, who was also 58. Visiting for the holiday were Jeanett's 30-year-old daughter, Candice Kunze, and her 36-year-old boyfriend, Andrew Buthorn, who had recently relocated from Oregon. Tensions had reportedly been simmering in the weeks leading up to the murders, largely due to Christopher's growing agitation over the couple's extended stay. The friction escalated into arguments, one of which occurred just two days prior. Jeanett grew so fearful of her husband's temper that she asked a nephew to hide a gun.
On the evening of November 23rd, while the family was playing a board game, another argument erupted. This time, Christopher Gattis retrieved a. 45 caliber handgun. The horrific events that followed were partially captured on a cell phone recording initiated by Candice. Gattis first shot his wife, Jeanett, and his stepdaughter inside their home. As Andrew Buthorn desperately tried to flee, Gattis pursued him into the front yard and shot him as well. Responding to the home's security alarm, police arrived to a grim scene. They found Andrew's body in the yard and the bodies of Jeanett and Candice inside the house. Christopher Gattis was found on the porch and was arrested without incident.
In the aftermath, Christopher Gattis, a youth pastor at the local Grace Lutheran Church, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was held without bond at the Chesterfield County Jail. The community and his church congregation were left stunned by the violence. In November 2018, Christopher Gattis pleaded guilty to the murders. The court heard the chilling details of the crime, including the cell phone footage that documented the final, terrifying moments of the victims' lives. He was sentenced to 58 years in prison for the slayings.
