Thompson murder trial to get underway this week in Allamakee County

Jury selection in the murder trial of Christopher Craig Thompson of rural Monona was scheduled to get underway Tuesday, November 8 at the Allamakee County Courthouse and possibly continue into Wednesday, November 9. The trial itself is expected to last between one and two weeks.
Thompson, age 33, faces one count of First Degree Murder stemming from the October 2, 2010 shooting death of his live-in girlfriend, Angela Marie Gabel, age 40. According to Allamakee County Attorney Jill Kistler, Thompson has pled not guilty and psychiatric expert testimony is expected. If convicted of First Degree Murder, Thompson faces life in prison without eligibility for parole.
Thompson reportedly called 911 after the shooting and reported that he and his girlfriend had gotten into a fight and he had shot her at the rural Monona home they shared, which is just inside the Allamakee County border with Clayton County. The 911 call was initially received by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department and forwarded to the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department. When officers of both departments arrived at 292 Watson Road, about four miles northeast of Monona, they found Gabel’s body, shot twice in the head, in the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet Corsica, later learned to belong to Gabel’s 17-year-old daughter.
At that time, Thompson briefly exited the residence holding the couple’s eight-month-old son, then retreated back inside. After surrendering to Allamakee County Sheriff’s Deputy Clark Mellick, Thompson reportedly stated that he and Gabel had been in a verbal and physical altercation prior to the shooting. Thompson told Mellick that Gabel had left the residence during the argument and Thompson followed, continuing the argument. Thompson then said he went back inside, retrieved a .22 rifle and fired a shot from the front porch of the house at Gabel, who was seated in the driver’s side of the car. Thompson told Mellick that he then went to the driver’s side of the vehicle, saw that Gabel was still alive and shot her a second time.