Deputies: Neighbor kills neighbor in dispute over property line

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A Central Florida man is charged with first-degree murder after a dispute with his neighbor.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, this case centers around an ongoing property dispute between relatives. Homicide detectives later arrested Ralph Christie, 69, for shooting his neighbor, Billy Nobles, 30.

Nobles leaves behind his pregnant wife, and two young sons. A GoFundMe account has been created to help the grieving family as well as a meal train account.

"Billy was taken from them way too early. There are no words to describe how they are feeling right now," a family member wrote on the account.

The incident happened on Taylor Creek Road in Christmas, Florida on Friday.

According to deputies, the neighbors have a dispute over their property line. According to Christie’s arrest affidavit, Nobles was on a backhoe tractor building a new driveway when Christie’s wife, Jaunita Gay Christie, told deputies Nobles hit her with his backhoe, trapping her. She said that is when her husband came out and shot Nobles in her defense.

However, deputies later discovered Nobles had recorded the incident on his cellphone before he was shot. The report states that in a 23-minute video, statements made by Christie’s wife, Juanita Gay Christie, were contradicted.

The report states Juanita was "no longer touching or standing directly in front of the backhoe tractor" when Nobles was shot. Later it states, "Nobles is yelling for her to move." 

The report goes on to say that once Juanita saw her husband...."She stepped forward, away from the large bucket she was leaning on, and got out of [her husband] Ralph's way."

According to the report, Christie shot Nobles from around 10 to 15 feet away. It states that in the video, Nobles cried in pain and kept repeating that he had children.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said right now, there are no additional arrests in this case.