Christopher Black Sr.

Christopher Black Sr. (August 2, 1959 – July 9, 2003) was an American convicted murderer who killed his wife, daughter, and step-granddaughter in Texas in 1998 after learning that his wife wanted a divorce. Christopher was convicted and sentenced to death that same year, and executed in 2003.

Early life Christopher joined the U.S. Army when he was younger. He rose to the rank of Sergeant before retiring. In the mid-1990s, Christopher married Gwendolyn Black, a retired Army soldier who became an elementary school teacher. The couple had a daughter together, Christina Marie Black.

Murders, trial, and execution In 1998, Gwendolyn told Christopher that she wanted a divorce. She had become frustrated after her husband did not do much to help the family and left town to get a job as a security guard. Deidre Blackburn, a friend of Gwendolyn, witnessed the shooting and fled. Christopher then shot Christina Marie Black, now 5-months-old, and his 17-month-old step-granddaughter, Katrese Houston, while she was sitting in her high chair. Christina was shot once while Katrese was shot five times in the chest. Christopher then called 911 and confessed to the murders. He told the operator that he ran out of bullets.

When the police arrived, Christopher had dropped his weapon and was holding Christina. "We approached him and he said he wasn't going to put the baby down on the cold ground," said officer Eric Bradley in an interview after the murders. "As I reached up to grab the baby from him, he said, 'I want to kiss my baby.' I said 'go ahead.' As I pulled the baby toward me, the baby's head kind of just rolled to the left. ... The eyes were open, fixed, no pulse, no respiration, no nothing." After the execution, Gwendolyn's sister, Mardelouis Hawthorne, said "We still miss our loved ones but we won't be thinking about him."