When Christy Sheats decided to load a five-round,38-caliber revolver and start shooting at her family, Jason Sheats and Christy Sheats had been longtime lovers from Alabama. They were raising their two daughters in a suburb of Houston.
On June 24, while Jason was horrified, she killed her children Madison, 17, and Taylor, 22, according to investigators. After Christy refused to put her gun down, police shot her dead in the street close to the remains of her children outside of their Katy, Texas, house.
How did the family Sheats get here from there?
According to Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls, Jason had revealed his intention to file for divorce after years of a failing marriage the day before the shooting.
Authorities are aware that Christy Sheats had fought with Taylor and Jason the day of the shooting, and that, according to Jason, she had attempted suicide three times and received treatment at various mental health facilities in the previous four years.
Authorities also know that Christy Sheats started to “spiral” when her grandfather passed away in 2012, months before her mother died. Jason reportedly told detectives that he believes Christy killed their children to “suffer” for him.
However, Nehls told PEOPLE that Christy had no history of being violently erratic. As the family gathered in their living room on Friday before Christy unintentionally started shooting, Jason said he had anticipated they would talk about the divorce.
Instead, she pulled out a revolver.
Christy Sheats And Jason’s Story Was So Beautiful
Jason and Christy Sheats first connected when they were young. Austin Crockett, Taylor’s childhood pal, told PEOPLE, “And they just knew they were destined to be together.”
According to AL.com, Christy was born and raised in Decatur, Alabama, which is just 15 minutes away from Trinity, where Jason lived and attended high school, according to one of his Facebook friends. This suggests that they were raised close to one another.
Crockett tells PEOPLE, “Her parents had a charming story. They were Taylor’s heroes, and they frequently related the tale of their encounter. One friend claimed that Christy appeared to be a loving mother as well.
Soon after the shooting, a friend named Catherine Knowles told PEOPLE, “She adores her girls.” “I don’t know what could force a person to snap, especially a mother who loved her daughters so dearly as she did.”
Knowles remarked, “The Christy I knew was an adorable, caring mother. “Within twenty seconds of meeting her, we began discussing her role as a mother. Her two girls served as her life’s purpose and the center of her universe.
An “Extremely Difficult Time”
The Sheats’s marriage worsened by the end of June when Jason declared his desire for a divorce. He told Christy on his birthday, the day of the shooting, “This would be the last birthday that you are going to destroy,” according to Sheriff Nehls, who spoke to PEOPLE.
Image source: chron
According to Jason, things changed in 2012, Nehls claimed.
Nehls stated, “He [Jason] believes she had a tough time dealing with her grandfather’s passing.” Two months later, Christy’s mother passed away.
According to Jason’s report to the authorities, Christy sought therapy at three mental health facilities in the four years since. According to Nehls, the family had established a habit of calling the police to their house, including three calls concerning Christy’s suicide attempts.
JasonSheats informed the police. Christy was taking multiple antidepressants and anxiety meds. Still, Nehls told PEOPLE he had no knowledge of her medication schedule or how it may or may not have affected her stability.
According to Nehls, Christy had a dispute with Taylor the day before the shooting and wanted to ground her so she couldn’t see her fiance. Jason thought the choice was incorrect. That day, he and Christy also talked about divorce, according to Nehls.
Christy Sheats and her girls passed away in a matter of hours. According to 911 recordings, Jason, a witness, begged his wife not to shoot. You can hear him declare on one call, “I promise you whatever you desire.”
Several days after the incident, Jason Sheats spoke in-depth with the police, despite being “clearly in a lot of shocks,” according to Nehls. Through the authorities, he has declined to make a public statement.
On Wednesday, he resumed posting on Facebook and shared images of his girls and himself having fun.
Christy Sheats was left out.
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