A man accused of killing his boyfriend shows up in Lee County court for the first time

Chris Davis is in the Lee County Jail right now because he is suspected of killing his boyfriend Barry Schmalbach.

Davis was charged with killing Schmalbach and an arrest warrant was issued by Cape Coral Police almost five months ago. He was extradited on Thursday.

At 10 a.m., Davis showed up in court to face formal charges. The hearing on bonds was rescheduled for Friday.

Speaking in court, Davis stated, “I’ve been stuck inside a shower for hours this morning, unable to go to the bathroom.”

Davis attempted to convince the judge of the unjust conditions he was subjected to while his incarceration.

He claimed to be under suicide watch and receiving mental health care, and he was afraid for his life.

Davis was told by the judge that he was only there to postpone the first appearance for a full day and that was all the court could do.

After being detained in a South Carolina jail on unrelated charges, Davis is now the main suspect in the Schmalbach disappearance case from 2023.

Detectives and forensics have not yet located Schmalbach’s body.

When Davis was checked into the Lee County Jail on Thursday at roughly 1:45 a.m., he was charged with around eighteen crimes, including fraud, tampering with evidence, and murder.

The Cape Coral Police Department states that Davis has been involved in the case since January and that they have gathered a substantial quantity of evidence connecting him to Schmalbach’s death.

Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore stated, “Detectives and forensics personnel have been investigating, gathering a significant amount of physical evidence, obtaining witness statements, gathering and examining digital forensic evidence and working with the prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office throughout the whole process.”

Schmalbach’s buddy Tom Wilson told WINK News last year, shortly after Schmalbach vanished, that he felt Davis was somehow connected to Schmalbach’s abduction.

According to Wilson, “Christopher was texting [a friend] on Saturday morning, sharing screenshots of alleged conversations between he and Barry.” “We knew then that something was off because those were not the remarks that Barry would make.”

Davis has not cooperated with investigators, according to police reports as well.

The pair shared an apartment in Cape Coral, and Davis last saw Schmalbach there on July 19, according to the CCPD. Davis was along Beach Parkway at the time.

The bond hearing was postponed until this Friday. (News Source)