PENSACOLA, FL – A Florida man is facing the possibility of life in prison after being convicted of fatally shooting a woman in a sports bar parking lot, an act that left a community reeling and ended the life of a young mother.
A jury in Escambia County found 27-year-old Christian Ketchup guilty Thursday of second-degree murder in connection with the August 2023 killing of 25-year-old Tierra Binion. Binion, a mother of twins, was gunned down after a heated altercation spilled outdoors from Mugs & Jugs, a popular local sports bar and package store along Scenic Highway.
Authorities said the deadly chain of events began with a fight inside the bar between Binion and another woman, Rachel DeRise, who was Ketchup’s girlfriend. Both women were described as active participants in the scuffle, but the situation escalated well beyond anyone’s expectations as it moved to the parking lot.
Witness statements and court records reveal that after the women’s altercation intensified, Ketchup inserted himself into the brawl. He punched Binion, knocking her to the pavement, at which point DeRise continued the assault while Binion lay incapacitated and unresponsive.
While DeRise was later charged with misdemeanor battery, receiving a 60-day jail term and a probation sentence after pleading guilty, Ketchup’s actions quickly turned from violence to deadly force. According to investigators, he produced a handgun and fired repeatedly at Binion, striking her in the back ten times. In total, authorities recovered at least 20 bullet casings at the scene, highlighting the ferocity of the incident.
Ketchup called 911 and waited for law enforcement at the scene, reportedly confessing to deputies that he had “messed up,” and insisting he was not a killer. Officers recovered the weapon used in the shooting, a Springfield Armory handgun, from nearby, while a bystander found another firearm elsewhere in the parking lot and turned it in.
During the trial, Ketchup’s defense centered on a claim of self-defense. He asserted that he believed Binion was armed and pointed to her, directing someone to “get my gun” earlier in the altercation. The defense also referenced the bar’s reputation as a place where patrons were often armed.
Prosecutors countered by arguing that Ketchup’s actions were grossly disproportionate and unreasonable. They emphasized that Binion was unarmed when she was shot and that Ketchup’s decision to bring a firearm to a bar, coupled with his intervention in a fight that did not directly involve him, showed a reckless disregard for life.
Jurors ultimately sided with the prosecution, rejecting the self-defense argument and concluding that Ketchup was criminally responsible for Binion’s death.
Following the conviction, Ketchup now awaits sentencing, set for November 19. He faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars for the second-degree murder charge.