The quiet, rural community of Beason, Illinois, is reeling in the aftermath of one of the most brutal mass murders in the state’s history, a night of unspeakable violence that has left six members of the Gee family dead and a three-year-old girl fighting for her life. Authorities are calling the scene a bloodbath, with investigators describing carnage so extreme that even seasoned officers were left shaken. The attack, which occurred on a September night in 2009, has shattered the peace of this tiny town of just 200 people, located about 200 miles from Chicago, and has sparked a frantic manhunt for the perpetrator or perpetrators responsible.
The Gee family, known for their warmth and generosity, had settled in for what they believed would be a peaceful evening. The children were tucked into bed, good nights were exchanged, and the household was winding down. But the sunrise would never come for them.
A man with sinister motives broke into their home, and what followed was a massacre that would forever be known as the bloodbath in Beason. The brutality was so extreme that the details are only now emerging, painting a picture of a family caught completely off guard, their lives extinguished in a frenzy of violence that has left the community in a state of shock and mourning.
The victims have been identified as Rick Gee, the father, a 34-year-old construction worker known for his strong work ethic and never-give-up attitude; his wife, Ruth Constant Gee, 27, a warm-hearted woman with an outgoing personality; their 14-year-old son, Dylan; 11-year-old son, Austin; 16-year-old daughter, Justina; and a three-year-old girl, Tabitha, who miraculously survived the attack. The family had been a fixture in the community, with Rick having built a successful construction business, G-C Construction, after years of hard work. They lived in a ranch-style home on the edge of Beason, with a two-car detached garage, an above-ground pool, and farmland for keeping chickens and other animals.
Their home was a hub of activity, bustling with the energy of a blended family that included Ruth’s children from a previous relationship.
The horrific discovery was made by a 10-year-old neighbor, Satan Lanstrom, who ran over to the Gee house to show off his new bike. When he reached the porch, he froze at the sight of blood smeared all over the door and the entrance slightly ajar. Worried, he dashed to the home of Nicole Gee, Rick’s daughter, where Rick’s stepfather, Pudge, had spent the night.
As soon as they heard the boy’s discovery, they immediately went to the house. Adam, Pudge’s grandson, was the first to reach the porch and noticed the blood, as well as a knife at the bottom of the porch steps. When Adam entered the door and turned on the lights, he saw a scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Lying in the hallway was Rick, facedown in a thick pool of blood. Frozen in shock, Adam dared not move further. He turned and ran outside to Pudge, telling him to call 911, though he didn’t know what to tell the police since he hadn’t seen it all firsthand.
When police arrived, they were met with a huge pool of blood, around two to three feet wide. As they moved deeper into the house, they saw that Rick’s head was completely wrecked, and his body looked like it had been through hell. At first, they couldn’t tell how he died, but the gruesome scene made them suspect a shotgun was used.
They hadn’t even checked the other rooms yet. As they walked down the hallway, they noticed the walls were all messed up, like someone had punched or smashed them. Then they found the second victim, 14-year-old Dylan, curled up on the floor just outside the main bedroom, wearing nothing but shorts.
His body was badly hurt, and his head was just as wrecked as Rick’s. Blood splattered everywhere, even on the ceiling, making the officers feel uneasy as they continued through the house.
When they stepped into the main bedroom, they saw Ruth lying on the floor in her nightgown. Half of her skull had caved in, and again, blood was splattered all over the walls. Pushing on, they entered the attached bathroom, where they found 11-year-old Austin, dressed only in his underwear, lying facedown on the bloody tile floor.
It was clear that the Gee family never saw this evil coming. They must have been caught off guard, getting ready for bed the night before. The officers moved cautiously through the house, unsure if the killer was still inside.
They walked down that bloody hallway, past Dylan’s lifeless body, and headed to 16-year-old Justina’s room. When they entered the room, they found something far more gruesome than what was initially found in the house. Blood smeared across every surface, soaking into her bed, where Justina lay on her stomach, her head hanging over the edge, leaving a puddle of brain matter below.
She had suffered the worst injuries of anyone in the family.
Just when they thought it couldn’t get worse, they braced themselves for what came next. As they left Justina’s room, they checked an adjacent space and initially saw no more victims. But then they spotted something in the dark closet.
There, they found a three-year-old girl’s body crumpled on the floor, surrounded by blood, with skin peeled back above her right ear. It broke the officers’ hearts. They were professionals, but nothing could prepare them for such a brutal scene, especially involving such a young child beaten to death.
Suddenly, a corporal noticed something move. It was the child. A paramedic rushed over and scooped her up like a baby, dashing out to the ambulance.
They quickly ushered Nicole into the ambulance too, and off they sped toward the nearest hospital. But when they arrived, they discovered that Tabitha’s vital signs were alarming.
Moments later, Nicole’s husband, Chris Harris, showed up at the Gee house. He had been called from work about the terrible incident. When he arrived, the police confirmed the heartbreaking truth: the family had been murdered.
But in the middle of all the chaos and tragedy, there was hope. The police told Chris that Tabitha had survived. Everyone felt a wave of relief because, despite the horrific events, Tabitha was alive and might be able to help uncover who was behind this terrible crime.
But not for Chris. He felt nervous when he learned Tabitha was alive. Without thinking twice, Chris jumped back in his truck and drove urgently toward the trauma center where Tabitha was being rushed.
Meanwhile, two first responders, Logan County Sheriff’s Corporal Michael Block and Illinois State Trooper Paul Hennessy, were left to sift through the crime scene for clues about what had happened inside the Gee family’s home. Investigators found a bloody handprint on the bathroom vanity where Austin was killed, along with a fresh shoe print outside that matched a K-Swiss tennis shoe. Officers canvassed the small community and followed up on tips.
One neighbor reported seeing a silver pickup truck passing by around the time of the murders, noting it had exhaust pipes coming up through the bed behind the cab. Despite these leads, police found no further clues.
Dr. John Ralston, a forensic pathologist, performed the autopsies that night. He photographed every inch of the victims’ bodies, but the injuries were so numerous that it was hard to keep track of them.
But one thing was clear: they had been brutally attacked, and it wasn’t from a gun. Initially thought to be caused by a shotgun, it turned out that each member of the Gee family had been bludgeoned to death, suffering with each blow until they were too weak to fight back. Starting with Rick Gee, the father, he had 39 impact wounds, 13 of which were to his head.
His wife Ruth suffered 28 blows all over her body, and her skull was crushed. Their 11-year-old son Austin had a caved-in skull and was struck at least 21 times. Signs showed he had been pushed against hard objects and someone had stomped on his feet.
14-year-old Dylan had over 100 wounds and was struck at least 52 times. 16-year-old Justina had at least 15 identifiable injuries and was missing the top part of her skull.
Meanwhile, Tabitha was in a real fight for her life. Doctors quickly discovered she had multiple skull fractures and serious brain swelling. It was tough for her.
She couldn’t speak or see because of the swelling in her face, but there was a small silver lining: she could still move her arm, showing she had some strength left to help her recover. The doctors made the difficult decision to remove a few small pieces of her skull. They hoped this would ease the pressure from the swelling and help her brain heal properly.
It was a scary situation, but the medical team was doing everything they could to save her. Nicole remained by Tabitha’s side throughout her recovery at the hospital. The atmosphere was tense, with police officers standing vigil behind her hospital bed.
They knew Tabitha was the only survivor of the horrific incident, and there was a real concern that the suspect might try to come after her. This made it all the more important for the authorities to keep a close watch on her.
Additionally, Nicole did her best to help the authorities, sharing everything she could about her loved ones and what had happened. On the other hand, Chris was a constant source of support for Nicole during this incredibly tough time. He spent hours with her, trying to offer comfort and help her navigate the chaos surrounding them.
However, things weren’t simple between Chris and Nicole. Their relationship had been tumultuous, filled with ups and downs. They had broken up several times but had only managed to patch things up again earlier that same year in 2009.
Days passed, and the police found themselves at a standstill. Despite following every lead they could, like the details of the suspicious car and the fresh shoe prints, they still hadn’t identified any official suspects. The Gee family had no known enemies.
In fact, they were well-liked in the neighborhood, known for their generosity and kindness. Many neighbors could vouch for their good nature, painting a picture of a family that was both wealthy and loving. In light of the recent events, the police took precautions and encouraged everyone in the community to secure their homes and stay alert.
People just need to take the normal precautions that you would take, the practical measures of at night lock your door, know where your children are, and keep track of your neighbors.
A week passed, and the funeral for the Gee family was held on the 28th of that same month. It was a heartbreaking day, but among all the grief, Tabitha was still fighting for her life in the hospital. While the community mourned, there was also a lingering fear because the killer was still out there, and no one knew when or if they might strike again.
Then, in a random but significant twist of fate, a major break in the case came at the hospital where Tabitha was being treated. One officer, after finishing his shift in guarding Tabitha, shared an elevator ride with Chris Harris, who had just left Tabitha’s room. The officer happened to glance down and noticed Chris’s shoes: K-Swiss sneakers with an aggressive tread, just like the shoe print found outside the crime scene.
The officer quickly informed detectives, which led to Chris being called in for questioning. They compared his shoe tread to the print found at the scene, but there was a slight discrepancy: the shoes were a half size too big. However, the detectives knew something was off, so they didn’t stop there.
They collected Christopher Harris’s fingerprints and palm prints, sending them to the crime lab for further analysis to prove his innocence. His brother, Jason Harris, stepped in to defend him, providing an alibi and claiming they had been together the entire time, far away from Beason where the murders occurred. Meanwhile, Nicole was furious at the mere suggestion that Christopher could be involved.
She took to her MySpace page to defend him, writing in an emotional though error-filled message, “This whole situation is such a mess and so unfair. Not only have my children lost five close family members, but now their daddy is being set up and taken away. This is too much to bear.”
Nicole continued, “There’s solid evidence that all six victims fought for their lives, and Chris doesn’t even have a scratch on him. He’s been with us through everything, and now they’ve taken him too.”
Nicole wasn’t the only one standing up for Chris. His stepmother, Debbie Harris, also spoke out to the media, saying their family believed in his innocence. Chris’s father, Ed, was in tears during a phone call with Chris from jail.
According to Debbie, Chris was shocked by his arrest and scared for his family’s safety, telling his father, “Dad, I’m scared because I know the killers are still out there.” He swore he didn’t commit the murders. When police booked Chris, they photographed his entire body.
Although he didn’t have any injuries, they noticed a large blister on the palm of his right hand. Coincidentally, a tire iron was later found near a creek by Jason’s house, where investigators were still searching for clues. On October 2nd, when they seized Chris’s truck, they found it belonged to Jennifer Erest, Jason’s girlfriend and mother of his other children.
Both Jennifer and her mother, Sarah Duncan, had provided alibis for Chris and Jason on the night of the murders, but as the investigation unfolded, those alibis were proven false, leading to their arrest for obstruction of justice.
The police were able to discredit the alibis partly because Chris’s palm print had been found at the scene. Additionally, a woman named Lori Cole, an armed security guard, came forward. She claimed that on the night of the murders, around 11:35 p.
m. , Chris and his brother Jason knocked on her door, asking if she wanted to party. Lori, who lived not far from the Gee family, recalled telling Chris she wasn’t interested and needed to sleep for work.
She noticed a Ford Ranger parked outside, similar to the one Chris and Jason were seen with earlier. Although she told them to leave, their behavior left her unsettled, as they seemed to have already been partying and didn’t want the night to end. Another woman, Christy Moore, came forward during the investigation.
She told investigators that she and Chris had been on-again, off-again lovers. She revealed that Chris had called her late on that same Sunday night, but she was busy with her kids and couldn’t meet up for what she knew he wanted: 𝒔𝒆𝒙. However, she agreed to see him after her children went to school the next morning.
Chris arrived at her house in Clinton, just a 15-minute drive from Beason, about 12 hours after the murders. They slept together, and Christy said Chris was acting completely normal afterward. Christy even took selfies of the two of them in bed.
In the pictures, they were kissing and giving each other flirtatious looks, with Chris smiling in some of them. She told investigators that Chris had no visible injuries or marks on his body and that nothing about him seemed unusual, except that she hadn’t seen him in the past two months, likely because he had just had a baby with Nicole two months earlier.
From the moment Chris was accused, he maintained his innocence, denying any involvement in the murders. However, when confronted with fingerprint evidence, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and got a lawyer. It seemed that Chris was content to let the legal process play out, but things took a sharp turn as the pressure began to mount on his brother Jason.
Initially charged with obstruction of justice, Jason’s charges were soon upgraded to five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, the same as Chris’s charges. Jason, now facing the possibility of life in prison, had a choice to make: stay silent and support his brother, or tell the truth and save himself. The survival instinct kicked in, and Jason began to talk.
The story he told was chilling. According to Jason, the night had started with drugs and alcohol. He and Chris had been out partying hard, drinking and snorting cocaine.
Eventually, they decided they needed a woman’s company to keep the night going. They first tried to reach out to some ex-girlfriends, but both women turned them down. That should have been the end of the night, but under the influence of drugs and Chris’s heightened libido, the brothers continued their search for female company, which tragically led them to the Gee family’s home.
Jason recounted that they had first tried to visit Lori Cole, the armed security guard who lived nearby. He waited in the truck while Chris approached Lori’s door, but she turned him away. What happened next is where Jason’s story became inconsistent.
He gave 13 different versions of the events, but the one thing that remained constant was his claim that Chris killed the Gee family.
Jason alleged that it was Chris’s idea to go to the Gee residence with the intent of having 𝒔𝒆𝒙 with Justina Gee, the 16-year-old daughter of the family and Chris’s sister-in-law. Chris had convinced himself that Justina had been flirting with him. Whether they planned for it to be consensual or not remains unclear, but Jason said Chris believed Justina was interested in him.
He then said that he stayed in the truck while Chris approached the house. In some versions of the story, Chris was already armed with a tire iron; in others, he went to the door without it. In one account, Rick Gee, the father, answered the door, and after a brief conversation, things escalated, leading Chris to retrieve the tire iron from the truck.
Jason said he then heard screams and thumping sounds coming from inside the house, the horrifying beginning of what would turn into a gruesome massacre.
Jason said he stayed in the pickup truck the whole time, just listening to the chaos inside the house. He heard loud thumps and screams and saw Dylan jump out of a bedroom window. After that, Dylan ran to the front door and went back inside.
Next thing Jason knew, Dylan burst out of the house, bleeding a lot, with Christopher Harris right behind him. Jason saw Chris hit Dylan five or six times with a tire iron before heading back inside. Miraculously, Dylan got back on his feet and went into the house again.
A few minutes later, Chris came out and hopped into the pickup. As they drove down the dirt road, he tossed his shoes and the tire iron out the window like it was no big deal. It’s important to note that there had been a complaint of attempted sexual assault against Christopher Harris involving Justina, but this complaint was dropped just a week before the incident.
Jason suggested that Christopher had intended to go to the Gee house for sexual motives, which ultimately did not happen.
Investigators retraced the path that Jason Harris had described during his testimony. They found the K-Swiss shoes and the tire iron thrown into a ditch beside the road. Forensic tests confirmed that the DNA found on these items matched both Christopher Harris and the Gee family.
On May 31, 2013, a jury found Christopher Harris guilty of murdering the Gee family. His sentencing happened on July 19, 2013, where he received five consecutive life sentences. In addition, he was sentenced to 30 years for the attempted murder of Tabitha, 30 years for home invasion, and 20 years for robbery.
Christopher Harris’s defense team tried to argue that he had walked in on Dylan during the murders and acted in self-defense when he killed Dylan, but this argument was quickly dismissed. In 2013, just before his sentencing, Christopher and his legal team sought a retrial, but their request was denied. Later, in 2019, they filed an appeal with the Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District, but that too was denied.
If you think the story ends here, well, not quite. A former cellmate of Chris stepped forward, claiming that Chris had confided in him about the terrible events of that night. This cellmate revealed a story even darker than what Jason had shared.
According to him, when Chris arrived at the Gee home, Rick answered the door. An argument broke out, escalating quickly when Chris hit Rick with the tire iron. Ruth heard the commotion and rushed in to see what was going on.
Sadly, as she entered the room, Chris turned his violent rage on her. In the midst of the chaos, Dylan grabbed a kitchen knife, trying to protect his mother, but Chris was too strong. It was during this intense moment that Jason saw Dylan crash through the window for the first time.
In a chilling twist, the cellmate reported that Chris felt no remorse for his actions. In fact, he claimed his only regret was not burning down the house that night, suggesting that if he had, no one would ever know he was responsible for the violence.
And let’s not forget Nicole. With all the evidence piling up against Chris, she went from defending him to cursing him. Additionally, during the sentencing hearing, Tabitha also delivered an emotional statement that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
She said, “I am seven, and it still breaks my heart. I wish you were dead, and my brother, sister, mommy, and daddy were alive. You don’t sneak up on other people.
You have to say sorry because do you know how badly that broke my heart?” As for Jason, he got a 10-year sentence in exchange for testifying against Chris, with credit for time served. This decision sparked debate.
Many questioned if it was fair for someone who played a part in such terrible acts. There were many times that night when Jason could have stepped in to help. He heard Dylan calling out for assistance, begging him to intervene, but he didn’t act.
However, his testimony helped bring justice for the Gee family. After the trial, Jason’s girlfriend Jennifer and her mother faced probation and fines for hiding evidence.
Meanwhile, little Tabitha, who was protected by state troopers during her hospital stay, formed a special bond with them. They painted her toenails, read her stories, and played games, showering her with the love and care she needed. They even threw her a birthday party.
Despite going through many surgeries, Tabitha made a remarkable recovery. Fortunately, the head injuries she suffered allowed her to forget the horrific events that took her family away. Tabitha spent some time in foster care but eventually found a loving home with her sister Nicole.
As the community mourned and tried to heal from this tragic loss, they dedicated a playground in memory of Austin, Dylan, and Justina, creating a space where their spirits could be honored and celebrated.
In an interesting twist in 2014, the show “When Murder Comes to Town” aired, trying to shed light on the Gee family murders. Despite interviewing various residents and officers involved in the case, the show leaned heavily on the defense’s narrative, suggesting that Dylan was a deeply troubled boy capable of violence. This portrayal sparked outrage among those who had worked on the case.
The officers involved wrote an open letter questioning the show’s accuracy, particularly how Dylan was portrayed. They emphasized his heroism, stating he wasn’t just a victim but a brave teen who tried to protect his family. Many agree with their perspective, as Dylan’s actions deserve recognition for his courage in the face of tragedy.
The question remains: was the sentencing fair, or should the accomplice have received harsher penalties? The community continues to grapple with the aftermath of this horrific event, a bloodbath that will forever be etched in the history of Beason.
