06/23/2026
June 23, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pike County Prosecuting Attorney Michael A Davis is pleased to report that Christopher Barfield was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole today by the honorable Rob Junk, Judge of the Pike County Court of Common Pleas, in case 25CR141 for the murder of Jason Scott and the attempted murder of Kandie Holsinger.
Today’s sentencing hearing was the result of a four-day jury trial that concluded on June 18, 2026, in which a Pike County jury convicted Christopher Barfield of all counts for causing the death of Jason Scott, attempting to cause the death of Kandie Holsinger, and Kidnapping Ms. Holsinger.
This trial was from an incident that occurred at 425 Curtis Lane; Piketon during the early morning hours of November 23, 2025. The State’s theory of the case was that Chris Barfield held Kandie Holsinger against her will to terrorize and assault her while holding her at gunpoint, including shooting into the floor. After several hours of being held against her will, Kandie saw her opportunity to exit and rushed to the door while Jason Scott attempted to intervene. When Barfield noticed Kandie going toward the door, he fired the .22 caliber rifle at Kandie but instead shot Jason Scott in the left side of his head killing him instantly. Barfield immediately fled the scene and hid out at a neighbor’s house until his apprehension by law enforcement. Mr. Barfield claims that he was attempting su***de when Jason Scott intervened and the gun accidentally went off. However, none of the evidence presented at trial supported Barfield’s version and the Jury agreed with the State.
The case was investigated jointly by the Pike County Sheriff’s Office/Southern Ohio Organized and Major Crimes Taskforce, and the Pike County Prosecutor’s Office, with the assistance of The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation(Crime Scene, DNA and Fi****ms), Lake County Crime Lab Fi****ms Division, Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, Piketon Police, and the Waverly Police Department.
This case was truly a team effort with an all-hands-on deck mentality to provide justice to the victims.
I cannot thank everyone involved enough for their hard work on this case. All agencies came together for one purpose and that was to get a conviction and provide justice. I specifically want to point out Alan Wheeler and Amy White of the Prosecutor’s Office for their exemplary work on this case.
Michael A. Davis (0096310)
Pike County Prosecuting Attorney
