Bio

Michael Lee McBride was born on January 3, 1962, in the United States. Court records described him as a man with a history of violent temper, unstable behavior, and frequent angry outbursts.

As a young adult, McBride worked in bars and nightclubs, eventually becoming a bartender and manager in Texas. In 1984, he began a relationship with Christian Fisher. Friends later described the relationship as stormy and controlling. Witnesses said McBride was possessive, jealous, and often reacted aggressively when upset.

Murder Story

By October 1985, Christian Fisher wanted to end her relationship with Michael McBride. She also wanted money he owed her. On October 21, McBride telephoned her and told her to come to his house alone, saying he would give her a painting instead. Before ending the call, he warned her, “If I can’t have you, nobody will.”

Concerned for her safety, Fisher went with friends James Alan Holzer, Cody Minnick, and Karen Tidwell in two separate cars. When they arrived, McBride’s house was dark and no one answered the door. As Fisher walked back toward the street, McBride suddenly appeared carrying a .30-caliber M-1 rifle.

Witnesses said Fisher struggled with him in the street and shouted, “You won’t do it.” McBride then opened fire. Fisher was struck multiple times and collapsed. He continued shooting her at close range after she fell. He then turned to the nearby car where Holzer was seated and fired repeatedly through the windshield. After smashing the driver’s side window, he shot Holzer again, including at point-blank range.

Both teenagers died at the scene. McBride then turned the rifle on himself and fired under his chin, but survived. When emergency crews arrived, he admitted responsibility and said it was “time for them to go.”

In 1988, a Texas jury convicted him of capital murder and sentenced him to death. After years of appeals, Michael Lee McBride was executed by lethal injection on May 11, 2000, in Huntsville.