A man has been sentenced for stabbing four people, one of them fatally, at a transitional living facility in downtown Redding. In October of last year Christopher Witcher waited for staff of the program to enter a meeting and then he went inside and started stabbing Donna Ceremony. Tim Kesler intervened bravely, placing himself between the attacker and the victim and suffering 8 stab wounds before Eugene Sims and Edward Williams came to the rescue and were also violently stabbed. Witcher fled and tried to get rid of the knife before being apprehended by Redding Police. Five months earlier Witcher had been released from prison in Colorado, where he had served time for stabbing his stepfather. At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, members of Donna Ceremony’s family made impact statements about the woman’s selfless need to serve others. Witcher had previously pled guilty to first degree murder, aggravated mayhem and other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 16 years to life.
– Steve Gibson