Tragic post — Craigslist ad leads to alleged murder of church piano teacher

By Jason Cruz
Northwest Asian Weekly

Christopher Davis (Photo courtesy KOMO)

A 32-year-old pianist was found dead in his Lynnwood townhome in what authorities believe is a result of an ad he placed on the website Craigslist.org.

A 23-year-old man was being held in custody in California, accused of killing Christopher Davis.

Davis posted ads in Craigslist’s classifieds section seeking a housekeeper with the underlying request for an intimate relationship.

Police said they found an ad posted on Craigslist on Sept. 4 titled “Lking for hot male housecleaner.” The ad was linked to an email account belonging to Davis, according to the charges.

In September, Davis failed to arrive for Sunday services and teach piano lessons at Kirkland Congregational United Church of Christ, where he also worked as Director of Music Ministry.

Friends and church leaders were concerned, leading to a request for police to check on Davis at his home.

His body was found in his home on Sept. 20. He appeared to have been strangled, according to  police.

The church held a celebration of his life after learning of his death.

Christopher Garcia Gonzalez was charged with second-degree murder and car theft. He was stopped by Santa Clara, Calif., authorities who were able to track him. Garcia Gonzalez was being held on $1 million bail in California and was to be transferred back to Washington.

According to his obituary, Davis attended school in Port Angeles where his parents lived and in Port Townsend where his father was a middle-school science teacher.  He graduated from Port Townsend High School in 2001 and earned an AA degree from Peninsula College.  He attended Western Washington University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music.  He also received a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Washington.

His deep appreciation of music included participation in many community concerts as well as national events including the New York University Summer Piano Institute, the Portland International Piano Festival, and the International Russian Music Competition.

Davis is survived by his parents and a brother. (end)

Jason Cruz can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.