A Florida man, 35-year-old Christopher Balter, is accused of giving a drug cocktail to his 94-year-old grandfather, Gilbert, to “ease up” his death. Allegedly, Balter texted a friend of his that he had “helped him out.”
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According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, police became aware of the incident back on February 3. Officers responded to a Central Boulevard residence after being informed of a “possible homicide allegation.”
Upon arrival, police were met by Kristen Rutherford, a lifelong friend of Balter’s. She told police that she had tried to report the allegation at the Palm Bay Police Department. However, once she arrived, she allegedly saw Balter in the parking lot. She decided to return home and ask a detective to respond to her house.
‘Hospice Care’ Death
Rutherford explained to police that, on February 1, Balter allegedly shared in a group chat they both were in that his grandfather, Gilbert Balter, had passed away. The younger Balter described the 94-year-old as a man on hospice care, having lived with him since November 2024.
Rutherford, worried about her friend, called Balter, who was eating out at a sushi restaurant. During the call, Balter allegedly confessed to killing his grandfather by giving him “several” of his prescribed medications, mentioning Ambien.
Additionally, the affidavit alleged that Balter stated at the time that his grandfather was at a funeral home, about to be cremated. Balter allegedly added that, that way, “no evidence would be found of this ever happening.” He also allegedly explained that Gilbert had been in a “vegetative” state for four days.
Rutherford then explained to the police that she felt “terrified” of reporting the incident given Chris Balter’s connections with the city, as per the affidavit.
The document detailed that the man served as the Urban Planner for the City of Palm Bay from 2013 to 2022, and he was, at the time, the Director of Planning and Development for Indian River County. The woman listed Balter’s friends as Palm Bay employees and even police personnel.
Phone Call, Alleged Admission
The responding detective requested to conduct a controlled phone call, and Rutherford agreed. During the call, Balter allegedly admitted to the killing, saying that what he did was what “people do all the time to help people out.”
“They load them full of f–king pain meds and ease their way out,” Balte allegedly said.
Then, when Rutherford confronted him about his alleged confession, Balter allegedly said, “I didn’t kill him. I helped him out.”
Gilbert was allegedly given, besides Ambien, Haldol, liquid morphine, and Lorazepam.
The document revealed that, despite Balter’s alleged claims that his grandfather was in a vegetative state for four days, Gilbert was alert on January 30, two days before his death. Additionally, on January 13, he expressed his desire to “live longer.”
Allegedly, one day before hospice care was started on his grandfather, Balter attempted to get Rutherford to sign his quitclaim deed for Gilbert’s home. Rutherford refused, and Balter allegedly forged her signature in a notarized document.
Christopher Balter was charged with delivery of a controlled substance and forgery. He has since bonded out of jail and resigned from his Indian River County job.