Christopher Wofenbarger, the husband of slain Georgia woman, Melissa Wolfenbarger, has been found not guilty of her murder.
According to Channel 2 Action News, a Fulton County jury took a few hours to return the verdict Friday.
In 1999, investigators found a human head, soaked in bleach in a black trash bag, off of Avon Avenue in Atlanta. The head was in an area behind a glass company where Christopher Wolfenbarger once worked.
Police said he didn’t report his wife missing until 2000, claiming that she left voluntarily and never returned.
Christopher Wolfenbarger was indicted in 2024.
The defense argued that Melissa parents, Norma Patton and Carl Patton, were abusive and that Melissa had been trying to escape them.
Carl Patton, notoriously known as the “Flint River Killer,” was serving time in prison for a string of murders in the 1970s. Police arrested him in 2003.
Melissa’s sister disagreed. During testimony, she said the family had typical arguments and that Christopher Wolfenbarger was the abusive one.
Norma Patton also helped convict her husband in exchange for help in Melissa’s case, Court TV reports, although she admitted that she helped him “dispose of bodies.”
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Family Handout]
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Author: Leigh Egan
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