Kriti Mehrotra
It was on the night of January 20, 2020, when everything turned upside down for Murfreesboro, Tennessee, resident Christy Ann Foe as she found herself in a nightmare situation. According to her own accounts in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here: He Put Me in the Dog Cage,’ what she experienced brought the truth about someone she trusted to light. What followed was a relatively lengthy legal battle, but the case finally reached a satisfactory conclusion in 2025 when her assailant’s appeals for his convictions were wholly denied.
Christy Ann Foe’s Mother and Neighbor Raised Concerns For Her Safety
Although a native of Louisville, Kentucky, Christy Ann Foe has spent the better part of her life in the wondrous suburban city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, alongside her loving family. Her father sadly passed away from cancer in 2013, following which her relationship with her mother only grew stronger as the grief and pain of loss morbidly connected them further. However, she has long asserted that while she shares a tight-knit bond with Linda Bates Heaverin, her reason to live is her 3 kids: Christopher Andrew, Eric Edward, and Cheyann Linda.
Christy was reportedly leading a good life by the time the late 2010s/early 2020s rolled around, as she was doing her best to provide for her children while also caring for her own needs. She was not only romantically involved with a man named William Joel Lauper but was also living with him despite already experiencing a few serious ups and downs. Alas, things changed on January 20, 2020, when her late-night call with her mother suddenly dropped after quite a lot of loud noises, leaving Linda incredibly worried about her well-being. She called her daughter at least 10 times over the next few minutes before deciding to drive to her home despite it being the middle of the night — they had initially started talking at 1:30 am.
Linda banged on Christy’s back door upon her arrival, yet received no response, which made her feel even more anxious. That’s when she asked a neighbor to call the police. Two deputies showed up not long after, just for the mother of 3 to then suddenly break a window and scream for help until the door that had been screwed shut from inside was kicked down. The ordeal lasted 40 minutes, but it was 4:45 am when paramedics started treating her as she sat against a wall in a fetal position, with lacerations as well as bruises across her face, head, and ribs. She was subsequently transported to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital, where she was given further necessary medical attention before being discharged into Linda’s care after roughly 4 hours.
Christy Ann Foe Was Attacked by Her Live-In Boyfriend During an Argument
While Christy healed from “excruciating” pain from her injuries, which ultimately left her with a permanent scar on her head and vision impairment in her right eye, her boyfriend was arrested. According to records, William Joel Lauper had surrendered to the police almost immediately after they broke down the back door of their home, resulting in a formal arrest. It was then that the duo’s steps were retraced for the whole story, starting with them going out for drinks at a local chain restaurant the evening prior and continuing to drink upon returning. They even spent some time working on a vehicle in their garage and drove around the block in his Trans Am before the latter decided to still work on the car, while she went inside to call her mother.
As per court records, when William came back inside shortly after and found his girlfriend happily speaking on the phone, he immediately started accusing her of talking to another man. Christy tried to clear the misunderstanding, but an argument ensued and quickly turned physical as he overpowered her, grabbed her head, and slammed it into the bedroom door frame. Linda had heard all of this before the line went dead, unaware that her daughter would then be refused any aid despite her forehead bleeding profusely from a large 3-4 inch laceration. After all, according to documents, when Christy subsequently started walking away while trying to call the police, William wrestled the phone from her hands and then also took her keys.
The mother of 3 still tried to escape through the back door, which is when her boyfriend blocked her, knocked her down, kicked her in the ribs, and then dragged her into their bedroom. Court documents assert he even pushed her head down into her knees when she tried to get up before strangling her until she lost consciousness, and then locked her into their dog’s cage. When Christry tried to free herself, William kicked her hand, pulled her out, punched her thrice in the face, and then locked her back inside before going to screw the back door shut. She did briefly fall asleep while in the cage, but when he let her out again, and she heard noises from outside, she fought back with everything she had until she managed to break a window.
William Joel Lauper is Currently Incarcerated in a State Prison
During the ensuing investigation, authorities learned that this incident was not the first time Christy and William had had troubles because she had taken legal action against him twice before. As per records, she had filed for a no-contact order against him sometime around the mid-to-late 2010s, which was lifted by the Rutherford County Circuit Court on February 19, 2019. However, less than 8 months later, on October 5, 2019, they issued another no-contact order against him from her side, asserting he had to move out and could only return with a police escort to collect his belongings. Despite the clear court order, the couple was back to living together by January 2020, and that’s when this aforementioned domestic violence ordeal occurred.
William was indicted on 7 counts on March 2, 2021: aggravated kidnapping resulting in serious bodily injury, aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, aggravated assault involving strangulation or attempted strangulation, two counts of aggravated assault in violation of a restraining order, domestic assault resulting in bodily injury, and preventing another from making an emergency call. He stood trial for the same a few months later, but with the testimonies against him and the lacerations as well as scars still visible on Christy’s face, he was found guilty as charged on November 18, 2021.
William was consequently sentenced to 50 years, 11 months, and 29 days on May 11, 2022, only for him to file a motion for a new trial on June 8, claiming insufficient evidence against him. When his motion was denied, he filed a timely notice of appeal for his conviction on February 9, 2024, which was ultimately upheld on March 12, 2025. Therefore, today, at the age of 39, he remains incarcerated at the maximum-security Morgan County Correctional Complex near Wartburg, Tennessee. He is expected to remain there until he becomes eligible for parole on April 19, 2064, but if repeatedly denied, he will only be released when his sentence comes to a conclusion on October 19, 2070 – he will be 84 years old at the time.
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