Man slashed best friend and then wrote a song about murder – disturbing lyrics revealed in court

Last Thursday, 23-year-old Brandon Christopher Risner learned his fate after pleading guilty to charges of first-degree murder, premeditated murder, assault, covering up the death of another person, abandoning a corpse, theft and removing body parts from the crime scene following the 2022 murder of 21-year-old Aaron Davis.

The disturbing details of the case were revealed in court by Floyd County Assistant District Attorney Leah Mayo.

Both Mormon, Davis and Risner graduated from BYU-Idaho in July 2022. The following November, Davis was driving to Alabama to visit his girlfriend when he stopped in Rome, Georgia, to spend the night with Risner. The two went out for a drink together – unusual for Davis, who reportedly did not drink alcohol – before returning to Risner’s parents’ house. Risner’s parents were out of town the night of the murder.

While Davis was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom, Risner allegedly grabbed a knife and climbed onto the roof outside the guest room – later According to reports He told a forensic psychologist he had “become a fleshly animal, as if in a dream.” He then went through the window and attacked. He is accused of stabbing David 40 times.

Mayo claimed that Risner had tried his best friend had an incision made around his abdomen and arm, while part of his small intestine was removed. Although he suffered no defensive injuries, Mayo also said Davis was alive throughout most of the attack.

“Aaron was killed on the bed … and then dragged into the bathroom. His blood was found on the bathroom shower door and other places,” Mayo said. “Aaron did not see this coming, and this was not a case of mutual fighting or anything like that.”

Risner then wrapped the body in duct tape, put it in a suitcase and buried it in a shallow grave, prosecutors said. He also allegedly searched for spare sheets as well as stain remover and muriatic acid and googled “how to remove blood from a carpet” – while also watching videos of “No Country for Old Men.” Court TVProsecutors also reportedly said Risner sent text messages to Davis’ girlfriend and family members from the victim’s phone, posing as him.

Risner initially fled from police who contacted him after Davis’ vehicle and body were discovered, but eventually turned himself in and was arrested.

In court, Risner’s parents said he suffered from mental health issues including obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety and Tourette syndrome, and claimed he had had suicidal thoughts in the past.

According to Mayo, Risner told a psychologist that marijuana made him feel like he had received prophecies from God – including one that said he had to kill Davis or have sex with his stepmother. He also reportedly felt it was his destiny to kill Davis when his best friend called and wanted to visit him while his own parents were out of town.

Two songs were later discovered, one written before Davis’ murder and another after.

“It doesn’t matter what you do. Go kill somebody, go love somebody, you can’t plan the future, God decided it for you,” were the lyrics of the previous song. The following song, meanwhile, contained the lines: “He screamed until he choked on his own tongue and blood. His scream turned to a gurgle as he swallowed his tongue.”

In court, Davis’ girlfriend and parents – as well as Risner’s parents – made statements before the verdict was announced.

“When I received the news that Aaron had died, after running all over Rome in the freezing cold to find my loved one, I collapsed in front of an ice machine outside a gas station and couldn’t stop screaming,” said friend Charliegirl Schellenger. “I never got to say goodbye. I never got to hold his hand again or touch his face or touch his hair or hug him. I got to kiss a cold coffin and hope he knew how much I loved him.”

“I have cooked and served thousands of dinners for Brandon over the years, and he has stayed at my house many, many times. He seemed to spend more time at my house than at his own. Aaron was always so kind to Brandon,” Aaron’s mother Sara said through tears. “When Brandon stabbed Aaron, he stabbed us in the heart too. He ripped our hearts out. We are devastated by Brandon’s evil actions.”

“How can we continue to fully trust anyone after witnessing someone we trusted so much murder and dismember my son?” added Aaron’s father, Randy Davis.

Risner’s parents spoke of his mental illness. His mother, Jenny Lee, said she still finds it “hard to believe that Brandon could do this,” but acknowledged that he “caused devastating suffering to the Davis family.”

“My child is a kind and loving human being who suffers from a serious mental illness that was not identified and treated in time to save the lives of two very good people – Aaron Davis and my son,” she added.

While the defense pushed for probation, Judge John Niedrach sided with the prosecution. “They are all in tremendous pain, but the Davis family is even worse… that a young son would be brutally murdered is unfathomable,” he said at the sentencing.