The Murder of Chase Massner
I have been following this case the past few weeks through the Nancy Grace Crime Online Podcast. I also just watched an episode of Injustice with Nancy Grace on Oxygen, it aired last night. Whether you love or hate Nancy, she does an amazing job with her show and her podcast, and she doesn’t give up until she finds answers for the families of people who have disappeared or end up being murdered.
Background
Chase Tyler Massner was born on September 4th, 1987. Chase’s parents Corbin Massner and Stephanie Cadena had Chase at a very young age, and didn’t stay together.
Chase
Chase got in trouble in his late teen years, even being arrested in August of 2005 for possession of marijuana. His number one goal in life was to join the United States Army. He was sent to Iraq for one year.
Chase in the Army
Marriage
When Chase came back from Iraq, he started dating a woman named Amanda, who he soon married. They also had a daughter soon after and named her Sydney.
It didn’t take long for Chase and Amanda to have problems in their marriage. Chase was especially close with his mom, Stephanie and would often go spend the night at her house when he and Amanda were having issues. Stephanie talks about it a lot on the Nancy Grace podcast. Amanda also said that Chase was depressed and suffered from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). They also had money issues, and soon became worse when Chase was discharged from the military. Amanda soon became pregnant with their second daughter.
Chase, Amanda and their kids
Chase got a job at a Quik-Trip in Kennesaw, Georgia. He was the night manager. This seemed to make his marriage with Amanda even worse. He spent more and more time with his mom, Stephanie and would talk to her about all their issues. Amanda would also confide in Stephanie about their issues.
Stephanie Cadena and Chase
On March 26, 2014, Amanda and their children picked Chase up from Stephanie’s house, and this would be the last time Stephanie would see him.
Disappearance
This is definitely one of the most complicated disappearances I’ve ever read or listened to anything about. It involves Chase, Amanda and Brad Clement, who by all accounts was a friend of Chase’s and later Amanda’s. Brad lived only 1 mile away from the Quik-Trip where Chase worked.
From Amanda’s point of view, her and Chase were fighting non stop on the way home from Stephanie’s, and they couldn’t even make it home without fighting, so Chase was kicked out of the car.
Enter Brad: Brad (James Bradshaw Clement) was just a few years older than Chase. Brad worked for T-Mobile at the time, and owned his own home. He went to pick up Chase, and Chase hung out with Brad for the night. Brad said he and Chase spent the night talking, and Brad was also texting Amanda through Chase’s phone, because he took it. Text messages were also deleted by Brad the night of Chase’s disappearance. This is the first of many things that Brad would do to make himself look guilty.
The next day, Brad was going to be having a barbeque, and cooking for the worker’s that were fixing up his house. He also wanted to invite Amanda, and their kids so that Chase and Amanda could work on things. He had to deliver a computer to a client, but also asked Chase if he wanted to go to the store with him, and Chase said he’d stay there. Brad left, and still had Chase’s phone with him. He said when he had come back, Chase was gone.
Brad Clement home in Kennesaw, Georgia
The Construction Workers
A man by the name of Brandon Duck, was the owner of Duck’s Roofing, was at Brad’s house the day Chase was supposedly there, and said he didn’t see Chase at all, but interacted with Brad quite a lot. Brandon was also with two other worker, who didn’t see Chase at all, either.
Brad had also placed a call to Chase’s cell phone, but he also said that he taken Chase’s phone, so that’s another strange thing that Brad did or said, or maybe he got his stories mixed up?
Amanda and Stephanie were also able to get a hold of Brad, and he said Chase could have left while he was in the backyard. Brad also said Chase seemed like he was depressed and could have just left to get away. Amanda has also claimed that Chase’s mental health was at an all time low, but Stephanie disagreed.
Nancy Grace Podcast
Nancy Grace and a local reporter tracked down Brad and finally got him to talk about Chase. Brad said that Amanda had come looking for Chase, and also asked for weed. Nancy asks Brad if Amanda hit on him, and he said yes, and that she said she was mad at Chase and wanted to get back at him.
Brad made many bizarre claims in his interview with Nancy, but this is one of the strangest. He also said that Amanda and her mother were involved in growing weed. He also just made the claim and gave no details at all.
Nancy also asked Brad if he’d take a polygraph, and he laughed and says something like “if that’s what it takes.” He never took a polygraph. Nancy was outraged about Brad laughing about it, and you know how Nancy gets when she’s outraged.
In Nancy’s show on Oxygen, she said that when she came out of that interview, she realized that Amanda had nothing to do with Chase’s disappearance and that it was all Brad Clement.
The Search for Chase continues
In June 2017, the police were able to get search warrants to search Brad’s old home. They were able to get access to it when they contacted the new owners, because Brad had moved and sold it. Cadaver dogs were used twice, and both sat on the same exact spot in the backyard. There’s actually footage of this on the episode on Oxygen.
On August 1, 2017, the skeletal remains of Chase Massner’s body was found in the backyard of Brad Clement’s old home. His body was found wrapped in garbage bags with duct tape under a cement slab.
They put out a warrant for Brad Clement, who agreed to turn himself in, but later fled. He was found living in a UHaul in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Brad
Brad being arrested
Chase’s Autopsy
The autopsy stated that there was heroin, methamphetamine and morphine found in Chase’s system. Chase was known to have used heroin before, but the cause of death was ruled undetermined because of how badly his body was decomposed.
The Alford Plea
Brad Clement took the Alford plea, which means the defendant doesn’t admit their guilty, but there is enough evidence to convict. This was for one count of concealing the death of another and one count to making false statements. He was sentenced to 15 years, 8 years would be spent behind bars, and the 7 years on probation. Brad Clement was asked if he wanted to say anything, and all he said was “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Stephanie Cadena said:
““Words cannot begin to explain the torment me and my family and Chase’s friends have been put through at the hands of Brad Clement.””
FINAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, I’m just so happy that this case is resolved. I felt so bad for Stephanie, and it broke my heart to hear her cry whenever she spoke to Nancy Grace. Nancy helped this case stay in the spotlight, and she discovers so much credit.
Brad Clement is a piece of shit, and I knew he was guilty from day one. I also thought Amanda was guilty, and I actually feel really bad for her now. She didn’t have anything to do with it, as she first stated. She doesn’t deserve to be bullied online or in person. We all know who really did this to Chase now, so let Amanda and their daughters be.
I can relate to this case a lot because my husband was in the United States Marine Corps, and we had a long distance relationship for awhile. He was never in Iraq or anything like that, but I was so anxious that he was so far away from me, and I know some of the things he’s had to deal with in the military, and I know it can’t be easy. It’s tragic that Chase survived Iraq, but had to die at the hands of his so called friend so close to his home.
Sources
https://unresolved.me/chase-massner
https://patch.com/georgia/marietta/chase-massner-death-clement-pleads-guilty-monday-sentenced
