Christina Moore, the former wife of a convicted murderer, will no longer face state prison after the Office of the State Attorney was forced to drop her charges related to the 2023 murder of Colby Vinson due to new evidence in the case.
Moore’s ex-husband Jason Curtis fatally shot Vinson in his doorway on March 19, 2023, at the behest of his former stepdaughter Rachiel Moore. Vinson had won 50% partial custody of his 4-year-old daughter just six days prior.
The Office of the State Attorney charged Christina Moore with accessory after the fact for allegedly helping her daughter and Curtis’ plan to kill Vinson until new evidence came to light that made prosecution “essentially impossible,” according to Supervising Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille.
“There is recently discovered evidence and the State is unable to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” court records say.
Marcille told the News Journal he could not elaborate on the specifics regarding the new evidence the state received in Christina Moore’s case.
What happened to Colby Vinson in 2023?
Vinson and Rachiel Moore had a 4-year-old daughter together, but had been split for some time before the shooting. On March 12, 2023, a judge ruled Vinson could have 50% custody of his daughter.
The same day a judge told Moore she had to share custody of the child, she texted Curtis about the situation, which led to a conversation about “hunting” Vinson as payback for winning custody.
“Jason Curtis makes a comment about coming down here and hunting Colby down, and Rachiel responds, ‘Not much hunting. I have an address,'” Assistant State Attorney Mark Alderman said during Curtis’ trial. “He sends Rachiel a picture of guns, knives and a sword (and) says, ‘Take your pick.'”
Just six days later on March 19, Curtis made the five-hour trip to Navarre from his home in Cullman, Alabama – the day Vinson had custody of his daughter for the first time in a year – and waited outside of his apartment until he returned.
After coming home from buying groceries to spend the week with his daughter, Vinson came face-to-face with Curtis. Curtis then fired a single shot into Vinson’s face.
Rachiel Moore, and by extension Curtis, purportedly want to do what was best for the 4-year-old by taking her away from her father, but Vinson’s parents told their son’s killer it was the opposite.
“You blew face Colby’s face off right in front of his little daughter,” Brad Minton, Vinson’s stepfather, said to Curtis. “How is that helping a baby? It’s not.”
What happened to Jason Curtis and Rachiel Moore?
Circuit Judge Clifton Drake sentenced the 55-year-old Curtis to life in prison in 2024 after a 12-member jury convicted him of the first-degree premeditated murder of Vinson.
Curtis is serving out his sentence at the Gulf Correctional Institution in Wewahitchka, Florida.
Rachiel Moore was also convicted as a principal to first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence in April for colluding with Curtis to kill Vinson.
Drake also sentenced her to life in prison. She is serving out her sentence at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: New evidence made it ‘impossible’ to prosecute Navarre woman for 2023 Colby Vinson murder
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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