Every once in a while, a person comes across a story that is so captivating and compelling that they just can't get it out of their mind. I just happened to stumble across that very type of case a while back and so now I feel a burden upon my heart to share this tragic story with my fellow steemians in hopes that this young man's family will finally get the justice that they are so long overdue for...
This story comes out of Meridian Mississippi and begins all the way back in February of 2014.
Meridian is one of those small, southern towns that you've probably never heard of. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi and sits at the junction of Interstates 59 and 20, almost directly in the center of the state on the north to south axis, just over the western Alabama state line. It is, however, strategically located on the major trade routes from Atlanta, Georgia to Dallas, Texas, and from New Orleans, Louisiana to Birmingham, Alabama and all points in between.
Christian Andreacchio was a 21 year old riverboat worker who had been employed with Magnolia Marine since he was 18, and was both well loved and well respected by his colleagues and co-workers. It was rumored that he was on track to becoming the youngest tug boat captain on the Mississippi River in just a few more years. That says a lot for a young man in that line of work, as his route took him from New Orleans all the way to Chicago, hauling asphalt, and working 30 day hitches at a time.
While he was away for his 30 day durations, his 17 year old girlfriend, Whitley Goodman, would stay at the apartment that Christian shared with his older brother Josh, who also worked for the same Tugboat company and with whom Christian was very close. Whitley did not work, and Christian provided everything for her: a place to live, food, gas, and a BMW to ride around in. Another central character in this story is Dylan Swearingen, a friend of both Whitley and Christian.
Dylan Swearingen and Whitley Goodman
When Christian was away working, Dylan and Whitley would spend most of their time together, and he basically stayed at the apartment that Christian and his brother Josh paid for every month.
Below is the link to episode 1 of the 15 part podcast CULPABLE which covers this case and investigation into the death of Christian Andreacchio, which I recommend watching all 15 episodes in their entirety, in order to completely comprehend the backdrop of this upsetting and compelling story and how it was botched from day 1...
The podcast is hosted by Dennis Cooper and produced by Black Mountain Media and Tenderfoot TV based in Atlanta, Georgia. The episodes can be listened to free of charge from both their website:
http:// www.culpablepodcast.com
or by searching CULPABLE on YouTube
Beginning on February 25th, 2014, a seemingly troubled Christian Andreacchio approached his boat captain and asked permission to debark near New Orleans, explaining that he had a family emergency. He had told a female coworker earlier that evening that he intended to get off the boat, with OR without the captain's permission. The captain grants his request on the condition that he can find a replacement for his shift and that he will be back in time for shift change later that day at 5pm.
He had placed and received several calls that day to and from Dylan Swearingen, who was back in Meridian and had told Christian that his girlfriend Whitley was "riding around in the BMW with dope dealers." The couple was known to be struggling with relationship trust issues and Whitley made no effort to hide the fact that she was cheating on Christian with a young man named Matt Miller, who will be brought into the story later.
Based on what I have gathered from my study of the case and testimony from other friends of Christian, in my opinion this very well could have been a ploy to lure Christian home for more sinister motives, which I will discuss in depth during later segments.
Christian got off the tugboat at St.Rose, Louisiana early on the morning of February 26th, 2014 and was picked up by Dylan around 8am that morning. Christian had previously arranged for him to leave early during the middle of the night and drive to New Orleans to pick him up. His Jeep was parked at the Vicksburg dock of Magnolia Marine where he had departed for his 30 day hitch several days prior.
The ride from St.Rose, Louisiana to Meridian, Mississippi took about 3 and a half hours which placed Christian and Dylan at his apartment at about 11:30 am on February 26th.
Willow Ridge Apartments is a complex of townhouse style apartments situated on Hwy 19 South near Bonita Lakes park and a shopping mall also named Bonita Lakes, all just minutes from interstate 20/59. Before the end of the day on the 26th, apartment 801 will be etched into history and many lives will forever be altered.
A neighbor in Willow Ridge apartments will later go on the record, stating that she heard a single gunshot sometime during the 2 hour window between noon and 2pm on that day. A stay-home mother, she recalls hearing the gunshot while she was putting her small child down for a daily afternoon nap.
Meridian has a high crime rate per capita so hearing gunshots, even during daylight hours, is not an uncommon occurrence according to many residents.
So, we have a gunshot heard sometime between noon and 2pm...
Next, Dylan is captured by the security cameras of Christian's bank at approximately 12:30pm. He is standing at the counter with Christian's atm card in one hand and a cell phone in the other hand, and tells the clerk that he is there to withdraw all the money out of Christian's checking account. Yet, Dylan has no pin code and Christian is not present with him...
During this time, it is presumed that Christian and Whitley are still at his apartment together, however, an eyewitness later sees 2 men leave the apartment around 2pm and drive away in a black pickup truck. Also during this time, phone calls were placed to Matt Miller USING CHRISTIAN'S PHONE at regular intervals beginning around 3pm. Matt Miller was Whitley's side piece and he will factor into her alibi later on in part 2, where I will discuss the night of the 25th and the events that transpired up to Christian's death.
A 911 call would not be placed until 4:45pm that afternoon by Dylan. The link below covers the entire 911 call as well as a breakdown and analysis by Sheila Wysocki and Marc Gillespie, 2 private investigators hired by Rae and Todd Andreacchio to conduct the family's own investigation into the case.
I will leave off here for today and pick back up in part 2
