In the quiet early morning hours of December 4, 2016, the life of 60-year-old Christine Mary Bender was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A native of Manchester, England, Christine was a beloved kitchen and bathroom designer known for her warm, engaging personality and her ability to instantly connect with people, viewing strangers as new friends she had yet to make.
She was a cherished wife, mother, and grandmother, remembered for her infectious British accent and the unconditional love she showered upon her family.
On that fateful morning, at approximately 2:05 a.m., Christine was outside her home on Campion Court when she was shot. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, she succumbed to her injuries, leaving her family and the close-knit Chimney Hill community in a state of shock and profound grief. Her death was not the result of a targeted attack but rather a random killing, part of a string of shootings that had been terrorizing the Virginia Beach area.
The investigation into the series of shootings led police to three teenagers. Among them, Nicolas Isaiah Cates, who was 17 at the time of the incident, confessed to the crime. He and his accomplice, 19-year-old Maurice Boney Jr., had been driving with the intention of taking a life. Spotting Christine smoking a cigarette outside her home, Cates approached her and asked for a lighter. As she turned to walk away after he returned it, he shot her multiple times. A third teenager, Angelo Antonyio Worlds, was also implicated in the wider shooting spree that resulted in another fatality.
In July 2017, Nicolas Isaiah Cates, then 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of Christine Bender, as well as to being an accessory in another fatal shooting that occurred just days prior. He was subsequently sentenced to 100 years in prison with 50 years suspended. Maurice Boney Jr. was also charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and conspiracy. The arrests brought a measure of relief to a community shaken by the random violence, though the profound loss of Christine Bender left an indelible mark on all who knew and loved her.
