‘A FINE, OUTSTANDING FAMILY’: ‘It’s just so tragic,’ says victims’ neighbor

Published 4:03 pm Monday, July 30, 2018

The bodies of three family members were found Saturday inside this home in the 17000 block of West Market Street in Athens. Police Capt. Trevor Harris said a preliminary investigation has revealed 54-year-old William "Billy" Christopher shot his 84-year-old mother and his 10-year-old son before killing himself.

Roger Patterson got in his vehicle about 4 a.m. Saturday to drive to Kansas City. It was about 10:30 a.m. when he got the call from his wife, who had stayed behind at home.

His wife said there were “police cars, fire aid, all sorts of rapid response” at their neighbor’s house across the street.

Patterson would later discover his neighbor of about 30 years had been found dead in her home, along with two other people.

“I was totally blown away,” he said. “… Totally devastated because of who it happened to, really, because it was so out of character.”

Just one day earlier, 84-year-old Betty Sue Christopher had been visiting his yard sale with her 10-year-old grandson, Chevy Christopher.

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“She came over to the yard sale, spent some time talking to me and my wife. Spent about 30 minutes here,” he said.

Patterson said Chevy spent a lot of time at his grandmother’s. That night was supposed to be no different.

“She said, ‘He stays with me, he keeps me in line,” Patterson said.

According to officials, the Christophers were last spoken with around 8:30 Friday night, and Chevy was scheduled to stay overnight with his dad, 54-year-old William “Billy” Christopher, at Betty Sue’s house.

Athens Police Capt. Trevor Harris said the next morning, when Chevy’s mom couldn’t reach anyone by phone, she drove out to the residence in the 17000 block of West Market Street. When no one answered, she contacted a family member who had a key to the home. When the person went inside, they found the bodies.

A preliminary investigation revealed Billy had shot his son and his mother while they slept in his mother’s bed, Harris said. Billy then shot and killed himself.

“It’s just so tragic,” Patterson said. “I never was so shocked in all my life. They’re not the type of people something like that happens to.”

In fact, he said, his own children had grown up with Billy. Patterson called Billy “free-spirited” but never one he had known for violence. Patterson called the Christophers “a fine, outstanding family.”

“He was always so accommodating and willing to help anybody do anything,” Patterson said. “That’s why it’s such a surprise, for someone to act so out of character.”

He said he had last seen Billy in the week before the yard sale, at a convenience store down the street.

“He was the same happy-go-lucky self. He would always holler at ya, ‘Come see me some time’ — stuff like that,” Patterson said.

“Not something you’d expect out of people like that,” he said.