Chris Jackson examines ankle bracelet that was cut by Christopher Padgett. Also shown is prosecutor Cameron Williams.
A Chattanooga man is on the lam after cutting off his ankle monitor and failing to show up for the third day of his felony murder trial. And the jury on Friday found him guilty of first-degree murder, resulting in an automatic life prison sentence. He was also convicted of especially aggravated robbery.
Afterward, Christopher Padgett was placed on the TBI's 10 Most Wanted List.
The TBI said, "Padgett, who goes by the nickname Bubba, is a 22-year-old African-American man who stands 5’11” and weighs approximately 160 pounds.
He has black hair and brown eyes, along with tattoos on both of his arms and his torso. Anyone with information about Padgett’s whereabouts should contact Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest."
Padgett, 22, attended the first two days of the trial, when prosecutors presented a series of witnesses and numerous exhibits aimed at proving Padgett shot and killed Millennium taxi driver Nathan Deere so he could steal his fare money.
Defense attorneys Meredith Ziebold and Wenche West were scheduled to begin presenting their side of the case Thursday morning, but the jury was eventually sent home.
At the start of court on Friday, Judge Tom Greenholtz told jurors, "You will notice that the defendant is not here." He said the case "will proceed without him."
Attorney Ziebold then announced that the defense would not put on any evidence.
Prosecutor Cameron Williams reopened the state's case, calling Chris Jackson, director of county corrections. He told of getting notification at 1:41 a.m. on Thursday that the GPS ankle monitor for Padgett had been tampered with.
He said he later learned that Padgett had cut off the monitor about that time and "ran away."
Mr. Jackson said he has "no idea" where Padgett is now.
City Officer Mark Pollard said he went Thursday morning to the home of Padgett's mother at an apartment on Bonny Oaks Drive, where he had been staying. He said his mother, Cynthia Walker, "was very distraught and upset. There was a lot of crying..
"She spoke of a mother's heartache for what her child had done."
The officer said, according to dispatch, that Padgett was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
Padgett on Friday was released after posting a $350,000 bond put up by four bonding companies. The bond will be forfeited, the judge ruled, since their client violated the terms of his release.
Court records indicate Key Bonding Co. was on the line for $130,000, Platinum Bonding $100,000, Rocky Top Bonding $75,000, and Jay Price Bonding $45,000.
Padgett was arrested four and a half years ago on a variety of charges related to Mr. Deere, who was found on April 18, 2012 slumped over the steering wheel of his cab. He died the following day.
A hearing was held Thursday morning outside the presence of the jury, and a representative of Key Bonding Company testified that he went to the home of the defendant’s mother earlier that morning. He said he saw the GPS ankle monitor Padgett had cut off his leg while he was at the house.
Later in the day, during a hearing that began at 4 p.m., defense attorneys asked that a mistrial be declared. The judge denied that motion, citing a variety of state and federal appeals court rulings that defendants who voluntarily flee midway through their trials forfeit their constitutional rights to confront their accusers and testify in their own defense if they wish.
Christopher Padgett