About fifty miles south of Nashville, the town of Columbia had a population of 35,000 souls. There was little that made the town stand out except for the friendly folks who lived there.
Gordon Russell Schaffer, known to his friends as Gordo, didn't seek trouble. He was a 22-year-old graduate of Independence High School who loved hiking, camping, and his white husky named Katana. He was the kind of person who believed in doing the right thing. Gordo had a long-time dream of moving to the state of Washington, and had saved money specifically for that purpose.
On the night of October 20, 2014, Gordo was making his end-of-shift call at the local Papa Johns, speaking on the phone with his general manager, Steven Angus. The manager heard the robbery in progress and called police.
Two men entered the restaurant, heavily clad in dark coats, gloves, hoodies, and masks, leaving little doubt as to their intentions. One, short and stocky with a unique hopping gait, flashed a pistol. The other was tall and thin. Gordo, true to his character, made it clear he would comply. He raised his hands, opened the register, and stuffed cash into the plastic bag they held.
"Open the safe," the man with the gun said.
Gordo explained that the store safe operated on a time-delay and could not be opened quickly. The shorter robber became agitated.
Gordo did everything right. He handed over the cash from the register. He even handed over loose change from the till.
The tall robber ran out the door. The stocky man with the gun hesitated. Suddenly, he turned toward Gordo and fired twice. The echo of gunfire was deafening. Gordon Schaffer died on the pizza restaurant floor.
The tragedy in that store was only the beginning. A massive manhunt followed, involving complex forensic analysis and a difficult search for justice in a system that repeatedly failed to curb the violence of the perpetrators. The investigation eventually laid bare the truth behind why a young man was targeted for the sake of a few dollars.
Read the complete reconstruction of the Murder at Papa Johns, along with 11 other true murder investigations in our new book, Killers Among Us: Volume 5, available now in Paperback, eBook, Audible, and FREE with your Kindle Unlimited Subscription at Amazon.
