AKRON, Ohio — Through his heartache, Brian Capien is trying to focus on the happy memories with Christina Spigner. He said Spigner was a great person who recently started a job leasing apartments in Northfield.
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"She was a very caring, loving person— full of energy," Capien said.
Capien and Spigner met as teenagers and dated on and off for years. They had a child together, Brian Capien Jr., who is now 15-years-old.
"She was a happy person, always brought joy around other people, always had a smile to make people happier," Brian Capien Jr. said.
However, on Monday night, Spigner's life ended tragically at the age of 44 on Lansing Road in Akron's Ellet neighborhood.
She was shot several times and found dead in a driveway.
According to police, the man who pulled the trigger was 38-year-old Jonathan DeFord.
Investigators told News 5 that DeFord had a rocky on-and-off relationship with Spigner. After the homicide, police believe he went inside his home, set it on fire and shot himself.
A gun was found next to DeFord's body in the basement of the burned-up home. Police said it was a case of homicide-suicide.
Neighbors who called 911 were stunned by the violent chain of events.
"We thought we heard gunshots at first, but I don't know what it was, and now the house is smoking. There's fire. I can see fire burning," said one caller to an operator.
Capien said he was aware that Spigner had dated DeFord but didn't have any indication she was afraid of him.
"She never told me anything about this guy," Brian Capien said.
As part of the investigation, police will examine whether mental health issues led to the homicide-suicide.
According to a December 2022 police report, a family member reported that DeFord was hallucinating and delusional. An officer found him in front of the police station.
According to the report, DeFord stated to police that his ex-girlfriend was trying to kill him and that there was a "bug" on his phone and his vehicle.
The report indicated DeFord admitted using cocaine and meth, but that wasn't the reason for his delusions.
"When speaking with DeFord, every vehicle that went by us, he claimed they were the ones watching him. He also claimed he would be dead by the end of the day and wanted to make sure his story was reported. DeFord also stated he was planning on buying a gun later that day to protect himself," the report stated.
Police said DeFord agreed to go to Summa Akron City Hospital so he could get drugs cleaned out of his system.
Brian Capien Jr. said he hasn't had much contact with his mom in recent years and that she struggled with drug addiction.
"We were all hoping she'd get back to normal, get her life together, and what happened (Monday night) is just really sad and shocking," he said.
The family said it's possible they may never know why the tragedy happened, making the situation even more difficult to comprehend.
"I don't think there's words I could really describe. It hurts. She was my childhood friend. She was my best friend," Brian Capien said.
