Atlanta, GA – A Georgia man was acquitted Friday in the decades-old murder case of his wife, ending a legal battle that had lasted for more than 20 years. Christopher Wolfenbarger, charged last year in connection with the death of Melissa Wolfenbarger, was found not guilty by a Fulton County jury after just two hours of deliberation.
Decades-Old Case Reopened
Melissa Wolfenbarger, the daughter of convicted serial killer Carl Patton, was last heard from on Thanksgiving 1998, prompting concern when she missed her mother’s birthday in early 1999. Investigators later discovered a severed head in a black trash bag at Christopher Wolfenbarger’s workplace in Atlanta in April 1999, followed by additional remains a month later.
Authorities initially misidentified the remains, which were later confirmed as Melissa’s in 2003 following her father Carl Patton’s arrest for the Flint River Murders, a series of killings in the 1970s.
Allegations and Defense
Investigators estimated the homicide occurred between December 10, 1998, and April 29, 1999. Prosecutors argued that Wolfenbarger killed his wife due to a rocky marital relationship. Melissa’s sister testified that in the summer before her disappearance, Christopher had allegedly assaulted her sister and dragged her by the hair down a sidewalk.
Wolfenbarger, who has a criminal history, has consistently maintained his innocence. He told investigators in 2021,
“Yeah, I have a criminal history. But I’m not a murderer.”
Acquittal Prevents Life Sentence
The jury’s decision avoided a potential life sentence for Wolfenbarger, closing a chapter on one of the most complicated cases in Fulton County history. Despite the acquittal, the tragic events surrounding Melissa Wolfenbarger’s disappearance and her connection to a serial killer family continue to draw public attention.
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