SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — Spalding County deputies arrested a woman accused of stabbing another woman to death and then setting a trailer home on fire with the body inside, they said.
Christy Garner was charged in connection to the murder of Patricia Gresham. Deputies arrested the 40-year-old after a fire broke out at the home Sunday off Dutchman Road in Spalding County.
When firefighters arrived, they were told by a witness that a body was inside the burning home. The remains were later identified as Gresham, according to a release from the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office.
“While speaking with the witness, he stated that he was present in the trailer when Christy Garner stabbed Patricia Gresham in the neck and killed her,” Dix stated in the release. “Garner then attacked him, but he was able to fend her off and get away. Garner then set the trailer on fire to cover up the murder.”
Firefighters weren’t able to get inside the home when they first arrived. A portion of the home had collapsed, making it impossible for firefighters to get in, the release stated.
Eventually, crews were able to “beat back the heat and flames long enough to allow for Mrs. Gresham’s remains to be recovered,” according to a statement from Sheriff Darrell Dix.
While crews worked to contain the fire, detectives began to investigate what happened prior to the fire. After investigators conducted interviews and gathered evidence from the scene, Garner is facing the following charges:
- Malice murder
- Felony murder
- Aggravated assault
- Concealing the death of another
- Tampering with evidence
Currently, Garner is being held in the Spalding County Jail without bond.
