Family members of a Register woman fatally shot Monday said they are filled with questions as to why Bryan Bassfield shot and killed his wife.

Bassfield of Highway 301 South is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He is held without bond in the Bulloch County Jail.

As the body of Jessica Marie Bassfield, 28, mother of a young girl and “a devout Christian” was sent for an autopsy Tuesday. Her adoptive father David Graf and his wife Marie were still in shock, wondering how to break the news of her mother’s death and father’s arrest to 4-year-old Nahla.

Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch said Bassfield’s body was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab in Savannah Tuesday morning.

The shooting took place at the Hwy. 301 South location in Bulloch County, near the Evans County line, around 12:45 p.m. Monday. Graf said the couple was having marital troubles, with talk of divorce. The last post Jessica Bassfield made on Facebook could be interpreted as possibly referring to dissension between the victim and her husband.

“I’ll look for him and he’ll be gone in the night,” she posted at 12:58 a.m. Feb. 14, using the name “Jessica Marie.” A single reply, from Bryan “Kurtosy Kup” Bassfield at 1:31 a.m. Feb. 14 reads “While you sleep!”

Bulloch County sheriff's deputies, Bulloch County EMS and Georgia State Patrol troopers responded to the residence in the 500 block of Highway 301 South around 12:45 p.m. Monday, said Bulloch County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jared Akins. There, deputies found the body of Jessica Bassfield, dead from a gunshot wound.

Bryan Bassfield, 30, was on the scene when first responders arrived. He was subsequently interviewed by investigators, while other investigators processed the scene. He was taken into custody and later arrested and charged.  

Graf, who lives nearby, said he was changing the oil in his vehicle when the shooting occurred. He said Bryan Bassfield came running out of a Handi-House that was used as a playhouse by his daughter and other juvenile relatives, “screaming ‘I didn’t mean it!’”

The couple lived in a camper nearby, but were in the playhouse when the shooting took place, he said.

Marie Graf, a registered nurse, said she went inside and confirmed Jessica Bassfield had been shot and was dead.

“Nahla was playing on the swing set and I knew she was OK,” she said. “She (the victim) was gone. I went outside and grabbed the baby and told David not to go in there and told (another person) to call 911.”

The Grafs said they do not know why Bryan might have fired the shot, striking the victim in the head.

“I didn’t even know he had a gun,” Marie Graf said.

Jessica was taking online courses to become a medical transcriptionist. The couple were living in Bulloch County for a few months as they did often, returning from other training sites for the military, she said.

“She was a very devoted mother, and loved her family,” David Graf said. He adopted the victim and her two brothers “when she was 4 years old,” he said. “Now, I have her 4-year-old daughter to raise.” He plans to seek custody of the child.

The family is not only reeling from the shooting, they are worried over burial expenses.

“She didn’t have any insurance or money,” Marie Graf said.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made toward burial expenses. Donations may be sent to David Graf, 599 U.S. 301 South, Register, 30452.

Akins said the investigation is ongoing.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.

Os FB - His