New plea hearing set for Georgia man charged with cold case murder of wife
The Brief
A judge has denied a motion to toss out the case against a Georgia man accused of murdering his wife more than 25 years ago.
Christopher Wolfenbarger is accused of brutally murdering his wife, 21-year-old Melissa Wolfenbarger, dismembering her body, and hiding her remains in a wooded area in Atlanta in 1999.
The Fulton County judge has set a new plea hearing in the case for May.
ATLANTA - A new plea hearing has been set for a Griffin man accused of murdering his wife in 1999.
On Monday, a judge denied a motion to toss out Christopher Wolfenbarger's case.
The backstory
Wolfenbarger is accused of brutally murdering his wife, 21-year-old Melissa Wolfenbarger, dismembering her body, and hiding her remains in a wooded area in Atlanta.
Melissa, who grew up just outside of Atlanta, was married to Christopher, whom she met in high school. After they were married, they had two children and moved into a duplex in Atlanta.
Melissa's family says they last heard from her on Thanksgiving Day in 1998. After not hearing from her for quite some time, Melissa's sister, Tina Patton, and her mother drove to her home in Atlanta to check on her. When they arrived, the home was empty and a neighbor said Christopher had moved the family out.
Norma Patton, Melissa's mother, filed a missing persons report, but Christopher Wolfenbarger never did. When interviewed by police, he told them that he and Melissa had fought, and she went for a walk and did not return.
In April 1999, a bleached skull was found off of Avon Avenue in Atlanta. In June, police found more dismembered remains in black trash bags in a wooded area near Avon Avenue. The identity of the bodies remained a mystery for four years until they were identified through dental records as belonging to Melissa Wolfenbarger.
What we know
The Atlanta Police Department announced that they had arrested Christopher Wolfenbarger in connection with the case in August 2024.
Authorities say he has always been a person of interest and that they questioned him back in 2003, but now they have the evidence to hold the charges against him.
"He was captured in his home in Griffin, and he hid. It took detectives a while to find him, and they found him hiding behind a dryer," Atlanta Police Detective Jarion Shepard said during the press conference.
Shepard described the investigation as a long process and would not elaborate on what new evidence led to the arrest. He credits determination, fresh eyes and advanced technology.
What's next
Court records show Wolfenbarger's attorneys asked a Fulton County superior court judge to toss the case out, arguing that the state took too long after the alleged crime before the indictment.
The judge disagreed with the defense's Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment arguments, allowing the case to move forward.
A new plea hearing has been set for May 5.
Wolfenbarger remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail.
The Source
Information for this story came from court documents and previous FOX 5 reporting.
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