CAPE CORAL, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man has been found guilty on all counts related to the death and disappearance of his boyfriend.
Christopher Davis appears in court during closing arguments. (Court TV)
Christopher Davis was convicted of second-degree in the killing of Barry Schmalbach, who went missing in July 2023. Schmalbach’s body has not been found. Following the jury’s verdict, Davis was sentenced to life in prison plus 45 years.
After a yearlong investigation into the victim’s whereabouts, authorities announced charges against Davis, who was Schmalbach’s boyfriend at the time of his disappearance.
According to police records, Schmalbach’s friends claimed he was planning to break up with Davis. He was last seen at Cruisers bar, arguing with Davis before leaving.
Multiple witnesses reported hearing a commotion in Schmalbach’s condo around 8:30 p.m. and seeing Schmalbach’s Jeep leaving around 9 p.m. on the night he disappeared. Davis claims he’s innocent and told detectives that Schmalbach was on other dating apps and seeing other people that could be of interest.
“I’m ready to prove my innocence, and I agree with them that this is taking entirely too long,” Davis said at a pretrial hearing.
For Schmalbach’s family, the confirmation of murder charges brought mixed emotions. Despite the charges, the family’s primary goal remains finding him.
“Our end goal hasn’t changed. We want to find Barry, and we’re well aware that a lot of these cases go unsolved, and there’s no resolution, and families are always left wondering what happened to my loved one,” Scaletta said.
Davis was also found guilty of tampering with or fabricating evidence, as well as multiple counts of fraud. The fraud mostly involved unauthorized use of Schmalbach’s credit cards.
KEY MOMENTS FROM TRIAL
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder Trial: Defense Opening Statement
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
- WATCH: Jury Sees Video of Christopher Davis Buying Shovel and Pickaxe
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder: Neighbor Testifies About Defendant’s Demeanor
- WATCH: Hardware Store Employee Testifies About Pickaxe Tossed In Dumpster
- WATCH: Witness Says She Never Saw a Cat or Harness At Christopher Davis’ Home
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder Trial: Prosecution Closing Argument
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder Trial: Watch the Verdict!
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder Trial: Victim Impact Statements
- WATCH: Missing Boyfriend Murder Trial: Christopher Davis is Sentenced
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