May 28, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – A Tennessee man earlier this month was indicted for first-degree murder for the death of his wife, Kelly McCollum Henry, formerly of Holbrook, during what police called a “staged” highway crash Christmas morning in Decaturville, Tenn.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol announced last week Chad E. Henry, 38, of Henderson, was arrested May 20 by West Virginia State Police in Bridgeport, W.Va. A day earlier, a Decatur County, Tenn., grand jury returned an indictment against Henry for first-degree murder in his wife’s death.

“It was a relief they got him,” said the victim’s mother, Mary Ellen McCollum, who lives in Sycamore.

Henry, who was initially arrested Christmas Day on charges of aggravated assault and driving under the influence, was apparently, under terms of his release, not allowed to leave Tennessee, she said. McCollum said her daughter was a “very nice person” who would do anything for her two sons.

“She thought the world of her boys,” she said.

One of her daughter’s sons, Jonathan Garber, is now in college, and the other, Kolton Rush, is in high school.

The couple knew each other about three years but had only been married two weeks at the time of her death.

“He had no right to do it,” McCollum said regarding the allegation Henry murdered her daughter. “I hope he rots in jail.”

Kelly Henry, 45, was a 1987 graduate of West Greene High School. She was a former cafeteria worker at West Greene High School and was employed as the secretary and funeral assistant at Rush Funeral Home Inc. in Rogersville for the last five years.

Chad Henry is being held without bond in the Northcentral Regional jail in Bridgeport, W.Va., according to a release issued by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. District Attorney Matt Stone, the prosecutor for Tennessee’s 24th Judicial District, said he will seek extradition to bring Henry back to Tennessee.

On Dec. 25, troopers were called to Highway 100 and Highway 69 in Decatur County to investigate a crash involving a passenger who reportedly “jumped” out of the vehicle, the release said.

Upon arrival, troopers talked with the driver, Chad Henry. Kelly Henry was injured and unresponsive. Troopers determined evidence at the scene did not match statements given by Chad Henry and requested assistance with the investigation from the highway patrol’s critical incident response team and criminal investigation division.

Investigators believed evidence at the scene was inconsistent with a crash, and instead was a “staged incident to hide a crime that had been committed,” the release said.

Evidence recovered inside the vehicle indicated a struggle allegedly took place between Chad and Kelly Henry.

Kelly Henry died eight days later at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville from her injuries.

Henry was arrested Christmas Day and charged with domestic-related aggravated assault, driving under the influence and other charges. He was taken to the Decatur County jail, but released Dec. 26 after posting bond.