Jim Bruce Graham, a 54-year-old Hemphill County, Texas sheriff's deputy, was shot and killed with a sawed-off shotgun on June 17, 2001, in Canadian, Texas, while attempting to serve outstanding arrest warrants on Christopher Chad Britton (also recorded as Christopher Wade Britton), 26. Britton was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in August 2002. He died by suicide on Texas death row in February 2005, before his sentence could be carried out.
Background
Britton, born August 11, 1974, was from Canadian, Texas, in Hemphill County, and had previously worked as a truck driver, equipment operator, and laborer. In the weeks before the shooting, according to an account later provided by a family member, Britton's behavior had become increasingly erratic: he was reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia and had described feeling paranoid, believing "people" were after him and hearing voices.1
About two weeks before the shooting, his maternal grandfather, Dondle Fuller, went to police seeking help for Britton, but was told nothing could be done unless Britton hurt himself or someone else.
Britton reportedly shaved his head, modified the appearance of his Ford Bronco (cutting off the back half and repainting it in camouflage), broke into his grandparents' home and stole firearms, and had a shotgun sawed off at a machine shop where he had once worked.
Deputy Graham, who had lived near Britton for most of Britton's life and had known him since childhood, was the officer who responded when Britton was spotted in Canadian.
The shooting
On the morning of June 17, 2001, Britton visited several people on Red Deer Street in Canadian. Several of those he visited later testified that they contacted authorities because Britton had outstanding warrants for his arrest — reportedly stemming from traffic citations. As Britton was leaving the area, Deputy Graham, who had been alerted to his presence, pulled up alongside him to make the arrest.
Witness Kathy Sirmans told jurors she saw the two men struggle briefly on the street in front of her house before Britton, still seated in his vehicle, fired a shotgun blast that she described as looking "like fire" exploding from the barrel. "I saw Chad reach for a gun out of the seat and then, boom, he fired at point-blank range," Sirmans testified. "Something came out of Jim Graham's head, then he kind of twisted around and just collapsed."
The blast killed Graham instantly. Sirmans then called 911; a recording of the call — in which she could be heard screaming "Oh my God" repeatedly before saying "It was Bruce Graham" — was later played for the jury.2
Investigation and arrest
Britton was arrested in connection with Graham's killing and was ultimately charged with capital murder. Because of extensive local publicity in Hemphill County, the trial was moved to a visiting courtroom in Potter County, Texas.
Trial
Britton's capital murder trial ran roughly two weeks in the summer of 2002. Prosecutors, led by District Attorney Rick Roach, presented testimony from multiple witnesses to the shooting and introduced evidence of what they characterized as a history of violence in Britton's past, seeking to counter the defense's narrative of sudden mental decline.3
Britton's defense team, led by attorneys Warren Clark and Mark Buzzard, argued that Britton was suffering from mental illness at the time of the shooting and did not understand the difference between right and wrong.
A friend, James "Tiger" Henson, testified that Britton's demeanor had changed noticeably before the shooting:
"The thing that was different about Chad that day was his eyes. It sounds silly, but he had cold eyes. You can look in a guy's eyes and see."
The defense's most significant witness was Britton's grandfather, Dondle Fuller, who gave close to two hours of emotional testimony describing how the grandson he had raised as his own son had changed so drastically that Fuller feared for his own safety and left Canadian for Perryton on the day of the shooting.
Fuller repeatedly told jurors "Chad was not in his right mind," and when asked directly by defense attorney Clark whether he believed Britton knew right from wrong in the period leading up to the shooting, Fuller answered, "I don't believe he did at the time."
Britton showed little visible reaction throughout most of the proceedings, sitting largely motionless with his eyes forward.
Verdict and sentencing
A six-man, six-woman jury deliberated for three hours and thirty minutes before finding that Britton presented a continuing threat of violence and that no mitigating circumstances existed to justify a life sentence rather than death.
Jurors interviewed afterward, who asked not to be named, said the defense had been unable to present significant mitigating evidence and that the jury was unanimous from the outset of deliberations.
On August 9, 2002, Hemphill County District Judge Steven Emmert formally imposed the death sentence mandated by the jury's findings.4 Before sentencing, Graham's widow, Lynda Graham, addressed Britton directly in a victim-impact statement:
"You and only you took away my husband, exactly one month shy of our 28th wedding anniversary. You and only you took Sherry's father on Father's Day and a few days before her 25th birthday... Chad Britton, it was you who cut a wound in our hearts so deep that it will never completely heal."
Britton, then 27, stared at her and rocked back and forth slightly as she spoke, but did not otherwise react.5
District Attorney Rick Roach said the verdict was "a just one, but not a happy one," adding: "Our society cannot tolerate attacks on peace officers. We're talking about an assault on the fiber of our society, not unlike what happened on Sept. 11."
Defense attorney Warren Clark said he was "disappointed" but would not "quibble with the decision," calling it "a hard case" given the weight of evidence against his client.
Clark noted that appeals in death penalty cases are automatic and said he believed some trial issues could be raised on appeal.
Texas Ranger Gary Henderson, who investigated the case and was a friend of Graham's, said afterward: "Jim was a fine human being. Anytime you lose someone of that caliber and character, you just can't replace him. There's a void. We'll go on, but that void will always be there."
Death row and suicide
Britton was received into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on August 12, 2002, under TDCJ number 999426, at age 28. He was housed on death row at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas.
On Friday, February 4, 2005, guards found Britton hanging in his cell approximately 17 minutes after a security check, shortly after noon.6 He was cut down and placed on a gurney; CPR was attempted but he could not be revived. He was 30 years old. Prison officials confirmed the death on Monday, February 7, 2005, and said the state Office of Inspector General would investigate.7
Fellow death-row inmates, in first-person accounts later published online, described Britton — known on the row by the nickname "Psycho Bob" — as someone who had complained in the days before his death about ongoing conflict with prison staff over minor possessions, and who had discussed confrontational tactics ("fading the team") rather than any stated intent to end his life.8
People involved
| Name | Role | Age | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Bruce Graham | Victim; Hemphill County sheriff's deputy | 54 | Shot and killed June 17, 2001, while attempting to serve arrest warrants |
| Christopher Chad Britton (also Christopher Wade Britton) | Defendant | 26 (at offense); 27 (at sentencing); 30 (at death) | Convicted of capital murder; sentenced to death Aug. 9, 2002; died by suicide on death row Feb. 4, 2005 |
| Lynda Graham | Victim's widow | — | Delivered victim-impact statement at sentencing |
| Dondle Fuller | Britton's maternal grandfather | — | Key defense witness; testified to Britton's mental deterioration |
| Kathy Sirmans | Eyewitness to the shooting | — | Testified to seeing Britton fire the fatal shot |
| Rick Roach | Hemphill County District Attorney | — | Lead prosecutor; pursued the death penalty |
| Warren Clark | Defense attorney | — | Argued Britton's mental illness at trial |
| Mark Buzzard | Defense attorney | — | Co-counsel for the defense |
| Steven Emmert | District Judge | — | Presided over trial; imposed death sentence |
| Gary Henderson | Texas Ranger | — | Investigated Graham's killing |
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 11, 1974 | Christopher Chad Britton born |
| ~Early June 2001 | Britton's grandfather seeks police help for Britton's deteriorating mental state; police say they cannot act absent harm to himself or others |
| June 17, 2001 | Britton shoots and kills Deputy Jim Bruce Graham on Red Deer Street in Canadian, Texas, as Graham attempts to serve arrest warrants |
| July 30-31, 2002 | Capital murder trial underway in Potter County (moved from Hemphill County due to publicity); witness testimony on the shooting and Britton's mental state |
| August 9, 2002 | Jury sentences Britton to death after 3.5 hours of deliberation; Judge Steven Emmert formally imposes sentence |
| August 12, 2002 | Britton received into TDCJ, assigned death row, TDCJ #999426 |
| February 4, 2005 | Britton found hanging in his death row cell; pronounced dead |
| February 7, 2005 | TDCJ confirms Britton's death publicly; Inspector General's office opens inquiry |
Sources
Footnotes
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Family comment (Britton's aunt), posted to Amarillo Globe-News coverage, undated, providing background on Britton's diagnosed schizophrenia and behavior prior to the shooting ↩
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Amarillo Globe-News, "Testimony: Britton shot, killed deputy," by Greg Cunningham, July 31, 2002 ↩
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"Testimony: Britton shot, killed deputy," Amarillo Globe-News, by Greg Cunningham, July 31, 2002 ↩
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"Death for Britton," Amarillo Globe-News, by Greg Cunningham, Aug. 9, 2002 ↩
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Amarillo Globe-News, "Death for Britton," by Greg Cunningham, Aug. 9, 2002 ↩
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"Death row inmate found dead in cell," Associated Press/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Feb. 7, 2005 ↩
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Associated Press/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Death row inmate found dead in cell," Feb. 7, 2005 ↩
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Death-row correspondence/tribute content published on inmate advocacy sites (deathrow-usa.com; ccadp.org), including a first-person account from fellow death-row inmate "Ghost" (William B.) describing Britton in the days before his death ↩