Hours after police asked for the public's help finding a suspect in the slaying of a woman in April 2005, a 29-year-old man is in custody and charged with murder and arson. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, a tip received from a Channel 4 viewer led to the arrest of Christopher Shettel on Thursday evening.
Shettel is accused of killing of 32-year-old Tonja Phillips in April 2005. She was found dead in a burning home on Wonderwood Drive. A short time later, the fire marshal investigator determined the fire had been intentionally set.
Phillips' father said his first-born daughter was smart, outgoing and the mother of a now-10-year-old boy, and that each day since his daughter's slaying has been as difficult for them as the one before.
"No matter what she did or did not do, she did not deserve this -- nor did her son," he said. "She never leaves me. It's a continuous, unfathomable, unreachable, uncloseable hole that never goes away. You just try to learn to live with it."
However, on Friday morning, Phillips' family got the phone call for which they'd been waiting.
"Homicide detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Mr. Shettel with charges of murder and arson," announced Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Pat Ivey.
According to police documents, several witness said Shettel admitted killing Phillips while he was on drugs and then used oil to set her home on fire.
Police said the medical examiner couldn't determine exactly how Phillips died because her body was too badly burnt. When Phillips' body was discovered, she had a blindfold around her face and it appeared as if she had been bound, a police report said.
The JSO said it took a while to get its case together, interview witnesses and to track down Shettel.
According to the arrest report, at least four witnesses told police Shettel admitted to them that he killed Phillips. However, each of the witnesses told slightly different stories about how and why the victim was slain.
Nonetheless, police located Shettel at a home in Mandarin and he was taken to jail.
They said Shettel has been in trouble with the law on several occasions. His arrest history includes more than 30 different charges, including child abuse, battery and multiple drug charges.
With a suspect in custody, Phillips' dad said he and the grandson he has been raising could begin the healing process.
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