Melissa Wood’s relatives dispute an early infidelity claim, while Jason Chatham’s family recalls the man they lost in the March shooting near TPC Sawgrass.
ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — In the weeks since Melissa Wood and Jason Chatham were shot to death outside a Walgreens in Ponte Vedra Beach, relatives have tried to describe who they were before the case file grew around them, even as prosecutors press ahead against Christian Joseph Barrios on double-murder charges.
That tension between the human loss and the criminal allegations has become the center of the story. Police have described the March 13 shooting as a domestic violence case fueled by jealousy, but Wood’s daughter has publicly challenged part of that narrative, saying she does not believe her mother was unfaithful. Meanwhile, a grand jury has indicted Barrios, 32, on two first-degree murder counts, pushing the case into a more formal stage while family members organize vigils, memorial messages and funeral support.
Wood’s relatives have spoken most openly. Her brother, Jeremy Hackward, wrote in a fundraiser that his sister had recently become a grandmother and left behind two children, a grieving mother and a brother still trying to absorb what happened. He described her as generous, compassionate and quick to help people even when she had little to spare. Her daughter, Valdez, painted a similarly intimate picture in a radio interview, saying Wood had “a lot of love to give” and always seemed to know what to say when people needed comfort. Valdez said she hoped to raise her own 1-year-old son with the same steadiness her mother showed. A vigil for Wood was planned for 6 p.m. March 20 at Mickler’s Landing, turning private grief into a public act of remembrance.
Chatham’s family has been heard in briefer but vivid snapshots. His niece, Aliya Jade, wrote online that she wished for one more late-night walk through Jacksonville Beach with no plan and no destination. She said she would make sure his “light never goes dull here on earth,” casting him as the kind of relative whose presence set the tone in a room. That language, while personal, matters in a case that first reached the public through police radio traffic and charging language. It places Chatham back in the story not simply as “the other man” in a motive theory, but as a 42-year-old Atlantic Beach resident whose family is now left with memory instead of routine.
The allegations against Barrios remain severe and detailed. Investigators say he asked his mother for a ride to the Walgreens at 860 A1A North near Palm Valley Road because he believed he would find Wood there with Chatham. According to the arrest record, his mother told detectives that he jumped out when he saw Wood’s vehicle and that she heard multiple gunshots moments later. Deputies said both victims were shot multiple times around 10:30 p.m. March 13 and later died at hospitals. Sheriff Rob Hardwick said the case appeared rooted in domestic violence. The charging documents also allege that Barrios fled across nearby TPC Sawgrass property, then resurfaced hours later in Jacksonville asking for clothes and a phone after saying he had shot someone.
Wood’s daughter has openly challenged the motive frame that quickly took hold. She told WOKV she did not know the full nature of her mother’s relationship with Barrios but believed Wood may have been trying to help him, not betray him. She also said Barrios called her the night of the shooting, despite the fact that she had only met him a few times. During that call, she said, he sounded upset enough that she feared he might hurt himself. The next morning, when her grandmother called, Valdez said she assumed the news might be about Barrios, not her mother. That account does not erase the allegations in the warrant, but it complicates the emotional map of the case and shows how family members are resisting a version of events they believe reduces Wood to a rumor.
The public investigation moved fast even as the personal shock lagged behind. Authorities said Barrios crossed onto TPC property after the shooting, handled a PGA Tour radio, and later became linked to the theft of a black BMW taken from a nearby home. Nassau County deputies found the SUV, pursued it at high speed, and captured him after a crash and foot chase in the woods near Callahan shortly before 8 a.m. March 14. The State Attorney’s Office later said a grand jury indicted him March 31 on two first-degree murder counts. Earlier records also listed counts including burglary of an occupied dwelling, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting into a conveyance and grand theft of a motor vehicle. He previously entered a written not-guilty plea and has been held without bond.
There is still much the public does not know, including whether any surveillance video captured the gunfire, how prosecutors will use the alleged statements from witnesses who saw Barrios after the shooting, and whether the state will seek the death penalty. What is clear already is that two family circles have been permanently altered. One side is assembling a murder prosecution. The other is still trying to tell the fuller story of the people named in it.
The next milestone will come in court, where the case against Barrios will move forward under the new indictment while Wood’s and Chatham’s relatives continue public memorials and private grieving.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.