On a cold December evening in 2016, the life of 50-year-old Christopher Jon Miller of Bridgewater, Virginia, was brought to a tragic and violent end. On December 17th, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Miller was fatally shot at his fiancée's home on Morris Mill Road in Augusta County. The male victim succumbed to his injuries before law enforcement deputies could arrive at the scene.
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office quickly identified a suspect in the shooting. Christopher Luke Simmons, a 36-year-old man from Staunton, had unlawfully entered the residence before Miller and his fiancée returned home. Simmons lay in wait for the couple, and upon their arrival, he confronted them armed with a firearm. A confrontation ensued in the living room, during which Simmons discharged his weapon multiple times, striking and killing Miller.
Following the incident, Christopher Luke Simmons was taken into custody by law enforcement. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Simmons was held without bond at the Middle River Regional Jail. He appeared in the Augusta County General District Court for a bond hearing, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 2, 2017. The community was left in shock by the violent nature of the crime, and those who knew Miller mourned the untimely loss of a man remembered for his love of farming, trail riding, and his cherished 1968 Chevelle.
