Man Kills Grandmother and Sends Photos to Family Calling Her a ‘Sacrifice’

A man from Washington, D.C. has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing his 83-year-old grandmother, Sandra Mundle, to death and sending a disturbing photograph of her lifeless body to family members last Friday.

Christopher Holness Jr. was arrested on the morning of January 17 at his grandmother’s apartment. When police arrived, they discovered Mundle’s body on her bed, with over a dozen stab wounds to her chest. She had also suffered additional injuries, including cuts to her eyelid, arm, and abdomen, as well as bruising on her eye and leg.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Holness called family members from Mundle’s phone after killing her, telling them he had murdered her as a “sacrifice for God.” He also sent a graphic photo of her body to prove it.

Family members described Mundle as “a sweetheart who loved her grandson.” One relative said they initially didn’t believe Holness had killed Mundle when he first called. But when they received the shocking photo, showing her covered in blood and clearly dead, they were left horrified.

In a chilling phone conversation with one family member, Holness reportedly responded to their plea to call 911 by saying, “She’s no longer with us.” When asked why he harmed his grandmother, Holness simply repeated, “She was a sacrifice… a sacrifice for God.”

Holness also reportedly told officers, “She had to die,” when they took him to the hospital for treatment of hand lacerations. The affidavit notes that Holness had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, though it’s unclear whether he was taking his prescribed medication at the time of the killing.

Holness is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on January 30 at Washington D.C. Superior Court. It is not yet clear whether he has entered a plea in response to the charges.