SAN ANGELO, Texas — A man who told San Angelo Police he found his wife unresponsive in a bathtub earlier this month is charged with her murder. Court documents show Christopher Wise, 35, called police in the early morning hours of Nov. 8t after he says he found his wife, Christie Feland, also 35, in a bathtub that was overflowing with water.
When an officer arrived at the home on West Avenue M, court documents state Feland's body had been moved to the bedroom and that it appeared she had been dead for some time. The officer also noticed several injuries on the woman's body, including an injury to the left temple, some bleeding behind her left ear, and bruises to her left knee and the side of her left thigh.
According to the document, the victim's husband said he had gotten into an argument with Feland over a conversation he had with another woman on the Snapchat app. He told the officer the argument escalated when Feland set fire to some of his property in the backyard of their home, before putting the flames out with a water hose. That same night, the couple agreed Feland would sleep in the bedroom, and Wise would sleep on the couch. He told the officer he fell asleep between midnight and 1 a.m. but woke up around 5 a.m. and that's when he found Feland in the bathtub.
An autopsy determined Feland died of blunt force trauma and not drowning, as was implied by the suspect. Investigators concluded Wise struck Feland with an unknown object, causing her death. An arrest warrant was issued for Wise on Nov. 22 and he was taken into custody that afternoon. That day would have marked Feland's 36th birthday. Wise remains in the Tom Green County Jail on a $750,000 bond.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The San Angelo Police Department said Tuesday Christopher Wise, 35, has been arrested to a warrant that stemmed from a Nov. 8, 2022, homicide.
Police said the victim was Christie Feland and the murder happened in the 1200 block of West Avenue M.
The department's Criminal Investigation Division developed Wise as a suspect and a warrant for murder was issued for his arrest.
The SAPD said the incident is still being actively investigated and more information will be released when it is available.
