06/17/2025
A drive down County Road 172 in Athens will lead you to a place that has seen more terror than most will ever know.
Patty Striker, who was born Patty Ann Moses, owned Strikers Premium Winery with her husband, Stanley Striker. A business that I am sure started off as a dream that would end like a horror story, and the home of Patty's unsolved murder.
On the morning of April 10th, 2000, Patty dropped her children off at school and daycare before going to work at the winery. Around 9:30 am, an employee and her friend entered the Winery. These women found the body of Patty Ann Striker on the floor.
A missing cash register and money scattered around gave the impression of a robbery, but that thought was short-lived.
Suspicion grew, and it wasn't long before Stanley Striker became a point of interest in his wife's murder.
According to news articles, Stanley and Patty had a troubled marriage, and in 1999, Police were called to their home twice on reports of domestic violence. Stanley had even dumped 2,500 gallons of wine onto the winery floor in August 1999. The couple had also filed for a divorce in August but reconciled not long before the murder.
Some say that Stanley had threatened Patty in letters she had provided to her Lawyer.
Despite the past, Stanley was never formally named a suspect or charged with the death of Patty Striker. He had an excellent alibi as he was working at the Bowater Paper Plant in Calhoun, TN, the morning of the murder.
Still, his alibi wasn't enough to convince everyone that he did not play a role in the death of Patty Striker. Patty's son from a previous marriage filed a $5.5 million lawsuit against Stanley. The Judge ultimately dismissed the case, but it still let the public know that someone wanted to hold Stanley accountable.
Billboards and offers of rewards would serve as reminders that those who loved her weren't giving up.
In 2012, a suspicious fire at the Winery occurred. Firefighters responded quickly, but the damage was still estimated to be close to $400,000. No arrests were made.
Then, in February 2014, the unthinkable occurred, as Stanley took his and Patty's then teenage children to the winery where he pulled a gun out and shot them both. It is by a miracle that they were able to escape and get help. When they got away, Stanley ended his own life there at Strikers Premium Winey.
This final event leaves no doubt that Stanley was capable of harming another person, but the question of who pulled the trigger that killed Patty Striker remains unanswered.
I believe someone out there has information that could close this case and allow Patty's family to close this horrific chapter of their lives.
If you know anything at all that could help solve this case, no matter how insignificant the information you have may seem, I am begging you to speak up.
Call the Cold Case Task Force at 844-878-9580 or the McMinn County Sheriff's Office at 423-745-5620.