NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A scammer reportedly tried to use a man’s death in an East Nashville shooting from Christmas 2022 to take advantage of his widow.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Chris Spaunhorst, 37, of Greenbrier, was shot and killed along Interstate 24 on Dec. 25, 2022 in a road rage incident. Authorities later released photos of the suspect’s vehicle, believed to be a black Kia Optima.
Officials said multiple gunshots were fired into the driver’s side door and window of Chris’ blue Ford F-150 pickup truck as he was driving along I-24 West between the Shelby Avenue and James Robertson Parkway exits, adding that the pickup truck came to rest along the median wall at James Robertson Parkway.
With a $21,000 reward on the table for information, a scammer told Chris’ wife that he knew what happened.
“He said, ‘I have information you would be interested in.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, what information would that be?’” Stephanie Spaunhorst recalled.
Stephanie has done multiple interviews with News 2 as she continues to share the photos of the car the suspect was driving when her husband was shot and killed. For more than 17 months, she’s asked the public to come forward with any information about Chris’ case.
“He said, ‘The information I have will change everything for you,’” Stephanie said.
Stephanie has been waiting for a message like that.
“I was an emotional wreck, of course, because we had waited 17 months for that moment, and we’re still waiting for that moment,” Stephanie told News 2.
The person claimed to have been at Chris’ funeral and messaged back and forth with Stephanie for over a week.
“It was a long 11 days,” Stephanie said. “It was very draining.”
According to Stephanie, details eventually started not to add up. Then, the scammer asked for money in the form of gift cards in exchange for information.
“For a little bit, he was pretty convincing. I thought it was it, like, I thought that whoever he was, he knew something,” Stephanie explained.
While she continues to fight every day for justice and begs anyone with information about Chris’ death to come forward, Stephanie is now worried that something like this will happen to another vulnerable family .
“There’s evil people out there…and if somebody else is in my same situation, I want to prevent them from being scammed and taken advantage of by someone that their intentions aren’t pure,” she said.
There is still a $21,000 reward to help solve the case. If you know anything about this deadly December 2022 shooting, call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.…Read more by Kendall Ashman
