Christopher Viley remains jailed without bond after a preliminary hearing focused on witnesses, surveillance footage and the death of Cheryl Gravitt.

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. — A first-degree murder case against a Moberly man accused of killing a longtime family friend in her driveway has moved to circuit court after a judge found probable cause to continue the prosecution, nearly two months after the fatal shooting.

Christopher Viley, 51, appeared Oct. 15 before Judge Garreth Cooksey for a preliminary hearing in Randolph County. Cooksey ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the case to move forward. Viley is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Aug. 23 death of 57-year-old Cheryl Gravitt. He remains in the Randolph County Jail without bond and is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Oct. 28. The preliminary ruling is not a finding of guilt, and the allegations against Viley remain unproven unless established in court.

The hearing brought into one courtroom several strands of evidence that investigators have cited since Gravitt was found outside her home in the 500 block of Morehead Street. Six witnesses testified, including Moberly police officers and detectives, a woman who was Viley’s girlfriend at the time of the shooting, and a representative of a child advocacy center. Testimony also addressed the account of a child who investigators say was near the scene. Brenda Porter, who works with a child advocacy center, testified that the child described hearing a sound like a firecracker and seeing Gravitt fall. The hearing gave the court a fuller account of evidence that had previously appeared in police statements and news reports.

Police were called to Morehead Street at about 7:10 p.m. Aug. 23 after a report of a gunshot and a woman on the ground. Officers found Gravitt lying in the driveway with an apparent gunshot wound to the back of her head. She was transported for emergency medical care and later pronounced dead. Family members said Gravitt had been taking out the trash when she was shot. Authorities treated the death as a homicide, and police initially said the shooting appeared to be an isolated event that did not present a continuing danger to the wider community.

The prosecution’s case has relied in part on what witnesses said they saw immediately before and after the gunfire. According to the probable cause statement, one witness heard a shot and then saw Gravitt falling while a person identified as Viley was running away from the area. Another witness reported hearing a loud pop and seeing a Black man in a blue shirt standing in the driveway where Gravitt was found. Investigators have also said nearby surveillance video showed Viley in the area. At the October hearing, testimony indicated that video showed him walking toward the scene before the sound believed to be the gunshot and walking away afterward. Investigators said his clothing matched the description given by the child witness.

Police also testified about Viley’s own account. According to reporting from the preliminary hearing, a Moberly detective said Viley told investigators that he had not been in the area when Gravitt was shot. That statement is now among the evidence prosecutors can seek to place before the court as the case proceeds. The publicly reported material has not disclosed a confession, and authorities have not publicly established a motive. No reliable public account reviewed for this story explains why prosecutors believe a close family acquaintance would have targeted Gravitt after spending time at her home shortly before her death.

That relationship has become one of the most difficult parts of the case for Gravitt’s relatives. Family members described Viley as a family friend who was familiar with Gravitt and her household. They told KOMU that he had brought his children to Gravitt’s home for a barbecue the night before the shooting and returned later as people socialized and played dice. Relatives said his children had previously spent time at Gravitt’s home watching cartoons. Gravitt’s girlfriend described the gathering as normal and said nothing about the evening suggested what would follow. Family members said Viley’s familiarity with Gravitt made the killing especially difficult for them to understand.

The investigation led police to Viley four days later. On Aug. 27, officers and members of several law enforcement agencies went to the 1000 block of Sinnock Avenue to arrest a suspect on a Randolph County warrant. Authorities described what followed as a brief standoff. Viley eventually left the residence and was taken into custody without incident. Police later identified him publicly, and prosecutors filed charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He has remained jailed without bond while the case has moved through its early court stages.

Court records and police reports have also noted Viley’s prior criminal history, though those matters do not establish whether he committed the crime now charged. Public reports say his record includes previous convictions for first-degree assault, third-degree assault and felony resisting or interfering with an arrest. Authorities have also said he was arrested in February on a fourth-degree domestic assault allegation that was still pending. The murder prosecution, however, will turn on the evidence connected to Gravitt’s death and the legal elements prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt if the case reaches trial.

For Gravitt’s relatives, the court process has unfolded alongside a separate effort to remember her life rather than only the circumstances of her death. Six days after the shooting, family members organized a celebration of life at Rothwell Park in Moberly. Her nephew, Jacob Gravitt, told local reporters that the gathering included laughter and memories and reflected how many people knew his aunt. He described her as someone who cared deeply about people whether they were relatives or friends. That description was consistent with other family accounts portraying Gravitt as a person who routinely opened her home and helped others.

Friends and relatives again attended the Oct. 15 preliminary hearing, some wearing shirts in Gravitt’s memory. After Cooksey ruled that the prosecution had shown enough probable cause for the case to continue, family members told local reporters they were grateful that it was moving forward while emphasizing that they were still grieving. The ruling resolved only the question before the judge at that stage of the proceeding. It did not resolve questions about motive or establish Viley’s guilt.

The next confirmed step is Viley’s Oct. 28 arraignment in Randolph County Circuit Court. He remains held without bond. Prosecutors continue to accuse him of first-degree murder and armed criminal action, while the public record still leaves unanswered what, if anything, caused the relationship between Viley and Gravitt to end in the violence alleged by investigators.

Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.