This photo provided by Chesterfield County, Va., Police shows Christopher R. Gattis. Police say Gattis shot and killed three people late Thanksgiving night
A youth pastor from Virginia was arrested Thanksgiving night after he allegedly killed three people, police say.
Christopher R. Gattis, 58, was found at the Chester home when officers reported to the scene where his wife, Jeanett Gattis, 58, her daughter, Candice Kunze, 30 and the daughter’s boyfriend, Andrew Buthorn, 36, were shot dead.
Startled neighbors heard the gunshots just before midnight.
When officers scoped the scene, they discovered the women’s bodies inside the home and the man’s, in the front yard.
It seems the suspect was a full-time cleric at Grace Lutheran Church on Harrowgate Road, according to his Facebook page.
‘This incident appears to be domestic related,’ Chesterfield Police Sgt. P.H. Zoffuto confirmed in a news release Friday.
Another neighbor and friend to the pastor described the suspect as ‘a gentle man,’ local WTRV reported.
Mike Brown said: ‘We were all friends; we hang out sometimes [and] cook out in the back.
Jeanett Gattis, 58 and her daughter, Candice Kunze, 30, are shown together. They are two of the victims in the alleged domestic murder incident Thursday
(L to R): Andrew Buthorn, 36, alongside girlfriend Candice Kunze, Kunze’s mother, Jeanett Gattis, and the alleged killer, Christopher R. Gattis
Christopher R. Gattis is shown with his wife Jeanett on Facebook. Police are investigated the suspicious Thanksgiving night murders at the couple’s Virginia home
Candice Kunze is pictured above in a Facebook image. Kunze’s body was found inside the home, along with her mother’s
‘I mean, every time I see them, they’re always the same way. [I] had no clue that they were having problems that I knew of, but behind closed doors is behind closed doors,’ according to the newspaper.
A church deacon, in disbelief of the horrific news, said Gattis was ‘an excellent man.’
Meanwhile, members of the parish expressed a mourning message after hearing of the three deaths.
‘Members of Grace Lutheran Church are deeply saddened by the loss of life last night as a result of three individuals being shot in Chester and this tragedy included members of Grace Lutheran Church,’ the statement read.
Kunze’s boyfriend Andrew E. Buthorn is shown. His body was dumped in the front yard of the Virginia home following the killings
The late Kunze is shown smiling next to her mom and the man accused in the murders
The horrific incident took place at the family home (shown) in the 14000 block of Dogwood Ridge Court in Chester
‘Grace Lutheran Church has experienced many hardships over the years, but this heartbreak has unique challenges.
‘[We] ask for the prayers from the community as our congregation begins the process of addressing the grief being experienced by everyone involved.’
The pastor has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond in the Chesterfield County Jail.
‘It’s just sad that their Thanksgiving ended that way,’ another family friend, Larry Patton said.
Investigation into the holiday murder is underway.
The suspect’s Facebook page said he started his position at the church back in 2014