SULLIVAN COUNTY – An Alabama man who was arrested earlier this year in connection to the murder of a Bristol man has been indicted on additional charges.
In March, Christopher James Havrilla (DOB: 8/6/72) was indicted for the murder of 24-year-old Cody Scott Matney, who disappeared from a business along West State Street in Bristol in April 2002. Havrilla was located and arrested in Orange Beach, Alabama, and subsequently extradited to Tennessee and booked into the Sullivan County Jail.
Since then, as a result of new information gathered during the investigation, the case was resubmitted to the Sullivan County Grand Jury resulting in a superseding indictment charging Christopher Havrilla with one count of First Degree Murder, one count of First Degree Murder in Perpetration of Kidnapping, one count of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping, one count of Tampering with Evidence, one count of Abuse of a Corpse, and two counts of False Report.
Last week, he was arraigned on those charges. He is currently being held in the Sullivan County Jail on a $1 million bond, with the condition that he wear an ankle monitor should he be able to post that bond.
The indictment of Havrilla is a result of a joint investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Bristol Police Department, the 2nd Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, and the Virginia State Police.
At this time, the investigation remains ongoing. Investigators believe that other individuals from the Bristol, TN, and Bristol, VA, area may have additional information concerning the disappearance and murder of Cody Matney. Anyone with information is asked to call the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department at 423-968-1426 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
Photo of Cody Matney.