Georgia Man Accused of Dismembering Wife With Saw in Decades-Old Case Suffers Setback in Court

The wife’s remains were found scattered in trash bags near her family’s home in April and June 1999

By @eliizabethurban
Christopher Wolfenbarger Mugshot
Christopher Wolfenbarger is accused of dismembering his wife, Melissa Wolfenbarger, with a saw more than 20 years ago. Fulton County Sheriff's Office

A Georgia man accused of dismembering his wife with a saw more than 20 years ago will await his trial in jail after he was denied bond by a judge.

A Fulton County judge denied the request of Christopher Wolfenbarger's attorneys to set bond Monday morning, as reported by WXIA-TV.

Wolfenbarger has been accused of murdering his wife, Melissa Wolfenbarger, sometime between December 1998 and April 1999. Her remains were found scattered in trash bags near her family's home in April and June 1999, however the remains were not confirmed to be hers until 2003, as previously reported by WSB-TV.

Melissa Wolfenbarger was last heard from by her family on Thanksgiving 1998, and her husband last reported seeing her in 1999, according to police records obtained by WXIA-TV.

"This defendant inflicted homicidal violence upon Melissa Wolfenbarger, his wife, who he was separated from," Brian Trepanier, an attorney for the state, told the court. "Medical examiners were able to determine that the dismemberment appeared to have been done by a mechanical or electrical saw."

The judge said what truly led to her decision to deny bond was when attorneys for the state brought up how Wolfenbarger failed to show up to court for previous charges. Wolfenbarger has been facing four felonies since the 1990s mostly related to theft charges, the attorneys said.

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