The Rev. John Howle, pastor at Longhurst United Methodist Church, was speaking about Christopher Dean Trivett, the 32-year-old Timberlake man who was shot and killed Saturday in Orange County by a deputy sheriff.

The Rev. Howell will conduct Trivett’s funeral this morning. Monday afternoon he spoke with The Courier-Times about his former parishoner.

“I’m not sure what happened,” Howle said. “It’s very bizarre, everything that took place.”

Law enforcement officials in several counties had been searching for Trivett since an alleged crime spree in Person County Thursday night.

Trivett was suspected of breaking into several homes Thursday night. He was also accused of sexually assaulting one woman and attempting to kill her and her mother and stealing an automobile.

Monday, Howle recalled that Trivett had begun coming to church with his wife, Amanda, “two or three months ago, maybe more.

“He was always in church,” Howle added. “He sat in the back with his wife, and he was always quiet.

“He was always polite to me,” Howle continued. “He seemed to be a normal person. He was real quiet. He seemed to be a good man.”

But Trivett had a lengthy criminal history for offenses such as break-ins, larcenies and driving while impaired. He was released from prison in July of 2006 after serving a three-year sentence.

Three months ago, Trivett began working for Tommy Carver & Son Inc., a plumbing contractor. Tommy Carver, owner of the business, found Trivett “very cordial, a good worker.”

Like nearly everyone else acquainted with Trivett, Carver is puzzled by the latest events.

“The stuff that happened this weekend just about drove me nuts,” Carver said. “It just doesn’t make any sense. It was totally out of character for him from the short time I have known him.

“It is just mind boggling to me what made this happen to him,” Carver continued.

According to police accounts, Trivett broke into Carver’s Brook-Car Drive home Thursday night and stole four guns before allegedly breaking into three other residences. Earlier he had stolen at least one vehicle in Roxboro, authorities said.

Approximately one month ago after a Sunday morning church service, Howle said, Trivett asked if he could read scripture the following week.

That is a normal practice in his church, Howle said, so he allowed Trivett to read from the Old Testament of the Bible and “his family was very proud of him.”
Howle said he had heard Trivett singing in church and noticed he had a good voice.

“We were trying to possibly talk him into coming into the choir,” Howle noted. “The church accepted him and I really believe he liked being in church.”

The events of Thursday and Friday and the news of Trivett’s death Saturday evening, however, were “very shocking” to Howle.

“I just can’t believe these things,” Howle said. “It’s just a shock to everybody and a shock to my church. I’m just as shocked as everybody else.”

Trivett had four children, two by his current wife, Amanda, and two by his former wife, Kelly Trivett of Oxford.

Howle said he and other members of the Longhurst congregation are all asking why the events happened, “and I don’t know if anyone will ever get the answers.”

Carver, too, is left wondering why everything happened the way it did. He was awakened when Trivett was in his home, but was unable to get him to stop when he called out his name.

“I am really sorry I couldn’t have curtailed it here before he went any further,” Carver said. “Looking back, it sure would have been much better for everybody if I could have confined him here.”