Moore convicted of aggravated assault, cruelty to children

Christopher Joseph Moore, age 29, of Warner Robins, was convicted Thursday, May 18, 2023, of four counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, and one count of Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, in the Superior Court of Houston County. The guilty verdict was returned following a two-day jury trial, and Moore was sentenced Friday, May 19, 2023, by Houston Superior Court Judge G.E. “Bo” Adams to 30 years, with the first 20 years to be served in prison and the remaining 10 years to be served on probation.

The evidence presented at trial established that in the early morning hours of June 27, 2020, Moore’s then-girlfriend—who along with her two children (ages 5 and 4) lived with Moore on Post Oak Way in Warner Robins—attempted to leave Moore’s home following months of physical and emotional domestic abuse by Moore. The victim called her aunt to the home to pick up she and her children while Moore was away working a night shift. After the two women loaded up the aunt’s minivan with their household belongings and placed the children in the car, Moore returned home early from work and attempted to block the road preventing the victim from leaving the neighborhood. The aunt, driving the van, pulled onto the roadside grass to get around Moore and accelerated away from Moore down Feagin Mill Road. At that point, Moore fired at least eleven shots from a semiautomatic handgun at the van, shattering the rear window right above where the children were seated in their car seats.

Officers with the Warner Robins Police Department responded to Moore’s home within minutes after the victim placed a call to 911, and took Moore into custody. A subsequent search warrant executed at his house resulted in police finding the handgun that was used, and officers collected eleven fresh shell casings from the middle of Feagin Mill Road. Subsequent comparison testing by WRPD Captain John Lanneau, the supervisor over Warner Robins’ Forensics Laboratory, demonstrated that the shell casings collected had been fired from the handgun recovered from Moore’s home, and Lanneau testified to that fact at trial. Warner Robins Police Department is currently the only local department in the State of Georgia that holds an international accreditation in this type of firearms analysis, the same method employed by the GBI and FBI.

The jury returned their unanimous verdict convicting Moore of all counts after about an hour of deliberation. Moore was prosecuted by the Houston County District Attorney’s Office’s Chief Assistant District Attorney, Eric Z. Edwards, and the case was investigated by WRPD Detective Karmen Thompson and Captain Wayne Fisher, along with Capt. Lanneau.

COMMENTS FROM CHIEF ADA EDWARDS: “The most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when they try to leave their abuser, and this case demonstrates that very clearly. The domestic situation in this case very nearly ended in the worst, most violent way imaginable. On June 27, 2020, Christopher Moore proved himself to be a man devoid of any regard for the sanctity of anyone’s life but his own. I appreciate the lengthy prison sentence handed down by Judge Adams in this case, which will keep this violent abuser from hurting any more of Houston County’s women or children for many years.”

COMMENTS FROM DISTRICT ATTORNEY KENDALL: “It is my intent to have this Office serve as a beacon of hope to victims in a time of need, for us to hold offenders accountable for their actions and to ultimately serve our citizens and seek justice for victims. Domestic violence does not discriminate between the weak, poor, strong, or rich, it plagues the lives of adults and children, and often victims of such violence feel trapped with no way out. In this case they were fortunate to leave the abuse without losing their lives; however, they will forever be impacted by the traumatic experience. To the victims, I appreciate their display of strength in this case. Detective Thompson, Captain Fisher, Capt. Lanneau, and Chief ADA Edwards did a superb job in seeking justice for the victims and showing our community that we will do our part as public servants. I want to give my sincere appreciation out to Capt. Lanneau for his work in the field of firearms analysis, and his unrelentless dedication and integrity. Capt. Lanneau has been instrumental throughout the years in forensic analysis, and we are blessed to have him and his division right here in Houston County. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or family violence, please know—there is help and there is a way out.”

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