ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 70-year-old Orange County man was sentenced to a decade in prison for shooting and killing his neighbor in March 2021.
Ralph Christie, 70, once faced a life sentence for a murder charge stemming from Billy Nobles’ death. The plea deal changed that charge to manslaughter, meaning his sentence could’ve been between seven and 10 years.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Things got emotional in the courtroom on Thursday, with tension and sadness on both sides of the situation. Even the judge needed a second before he could hear any more of the victim impact statements.
In an emotional plea, Nobles’ wife, Victoria, asked the judge to give her husband’s killer the maximum sentence.
Read: Property dispute leads to fatal shooting, deputies said
“I couldn’t save my husband … the day he was murdered,” she said.
In the end, the judge decided Christie should spend a decade behind bars.
The Nobles and Christies, who are related, lived next door to each other and were in a long battle over the land. Deputies had been called and lawyers hired because of the years of fighting.
Read: Mar-a-Lago search: Judge orders release of redacted affidavit
But on March 12, Ralph Christie’s lawyer said he had had enough.
Nobles was digging a driveway when Christie says he thought his wife was being pinned by the tractor Nobles was on and fired one shot, killing him. Prosecutors said she was not in danger.
Nobles’ cell phone was rolling and recorded his own death.
Read: Final inspections underway ahead of Artemis 1 launch
Christie, a veteran, had no criminal history.
Christie said he admits that this was a terrible situation that he regrets. However, he claimed that he thought his wife was in danger and wanted to protect her.
He apologized to Nobles’ children and said he knows he will have to serve his time in prison.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2022 Cox Media Group
