A 44-year-old Arkansas lady will spend a few years in prison after fatally shooting her son in the chest last year after an argument over a stopped lawnmower. Last Monday, Sixteenth Circuit Court Judge Tim Weaver sentenced Tabatha Lynn Pebler to three years in a state correctional facility after she pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in the death of Brandon Chrisco.
Pebler received an additional seven-year suspended sentence. If she fails to comply with the terms of her release, the court may order her to serve those years in prison.
Pebler was first charged with second-degree murder and using a handgun to commit a felony in connection with her son’s death. In exchange for her guilty plea to manslaughter, prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges against her.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on the afternoon of May 31, 2023, deputies from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office came to a residence in the 100 block of Stonewood Road after Pebler called 911 and informed the dispatcher that she “had shot her son.”
Deputies at the scene Mirandized Pebler before bringing her in for an interview. Pebler told officers she was outside mowing the lawn with her riding mower when the machine became stuck. She then proceeded to get her son, Christopher.
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Pebler said her son was “upset” at having to assist her get the mower unstuck. A short time later, Pebler told police she got the mower stuck again and sought her son for assistance. This time, she claimed Chrisco called her a “b—-” and “shoved her off the mower.”
“(Pebler) said she went to the car approximately two hundred and fifty (250) yards away, and got her pistol out of the console in the car,” according to the statement of belief. “(Pebler) stated that she took the shorter route to the vehicle while (her son) took the longer one. (Pebler) stated that her son was still after her, and she fired several warning shots. (Pebler) claimed that she then approached (her son) and fired a shot at him. (Pebler) stated that she did not intend to murder him, but rather to intimidate him and stop.
According to authorities, Crisco had a gunshot wound to the upper left side of his chest, with the bullet passing through him. Multiple shell casings were recovered from the vicinity.
According to investigators, the evidence obtained at the scene showed that after getting her pistol from the car, Pebler went 18 feet toward Chrisco and fired one round. She then advanced another 52 feet toward her son, firing the deadly shot when he was less than 20 feet away.
Pebler was ordered to start serving her prison sentence on Monday.