The mother of the murdered Georgia woman, Melissa Wolfenbarger, took the witness stand on Friday, detailing the alleged abuse Melissa suffered at the hands of her husband.
Christopher Wolfenbarger is on trial in Atlanta for the murder of his 21-year-old wife, Melissa, who was also a mother of two. He is charged with murder and felony murder.
Melissa disappeared in December 1998. At the time, she was living with the defendant in Georgia despite being separated due to domestic abuse claims.
In 1999, Melissa’s dismembered remains were found behind and around the defendant’s former workplace in Atlanta.
Melissa’s mother, Norma Patton, testified that Christopher Wolfenbarger had physically abused her daughter prior to her disappearance.
The couple met while Melissa was still in high school. Despite efforts to keep her away, Melissa’s mother, Norma, recounted how her daughter would often run away to be with him.
“I tried my best to keep them separated,” Norma testified.
Melissa became pregnant and by the time she was 21, the pair had two children. The abuse allegedly continued.
“He had knocked her down and dragged her along the sidewalk,” Patton testified, recalling a 1998 incident involving the defendant.
“Her whole back side was skinned up like she had been dragged along the sidewalk.”
The defense previously argued that Patton and her husband, Carl Patton, were abusive and that Melissa had been trying to escape them.
In a separate case, Carl Patton, infamously known as the “Flint River Killer,” was imprisoned for several murders committed in the 1970s; he was arrested in 2003.
Norma Patton helped convict her husband in exchange for help in Melissa’s case, Court TV reports.
Norma’s testimony will resume Monday. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Family Handout]
