My name is Hayley (Murphy) Weddle and I’ve debated for 11 years if I would ever come forward about my experience with Chris Gaither.
I am highly aware of his reputation in Shelbyville, KY where I never thought anyone would believe me or even care that he did this to me. However, I am now also aware that this didn’t stop with me… I suspect that inappropriate behavior with students is a cycle for Chris Gaither and for the sake of the young women in our community, he must be stopped.
The following account will detail a situation in which I was groomed as an underage high school student and subsequently persuaded to have sex immediately following graduation.
On November 18, 2025, I was contacted by Shelby County Public Schools because my name was reported in relation to Chris Gaither. Caught extremely offguard, I complied and answered their questions. That afternoon, Chris Gaither was walked out of practice by school officials. After giving SCPS confirmation that I would deliver my written statement, Chris Gaither was reinstated before they received it.
Below is my statement that I hand delivered to Shelby County Public Schools at 12:15pm on December 4, 2025. During this meeting, I sat down with three SCPS officials and my witness, Amanda Lamping, to describe my experience. Chris Gaither coached at the Collins game that night.
Lastly, while I am aware there is a lawsuit involving Chris Gaither, I do not know or have ever spoken to the families involved.
December 4, 2025
To the members of the Shelby County School Board,
My name is Hayley (Murphy) Weddle and I am sharing my personal experience with Martha Layne Collins high school teacher and coach, Christopher (Chris) Gaither. I am offering this account because it is important for the board to hear what I experienced during my time as a student and beyond graduation.
Beginning when I was 17 years old, from fall 2012 through my graduation in May 2014, I received messages from Chris Gaither through text and Snapchat. I can confidently say these were outside what would be exchanged with a teacher/coach - I served as one of the team managers my junior and senior year at Collins. Many messages came late at night, often after he said his wife had gone to bed. Amanda (Zepeda) Lamping was a witness to these conversations during our senior year of high school. On the first day of my senior year, Chris Gaither commented on my appearance in the hallway saying that I looked good and that I had lost weight.
Chris Gaither frequently pulled me out of class during my senior year- especially during basketball season. Sometimes I would start the laundry for the team but usually I would just sit in his classroom. He rarely had very many students in his class, if any at all.
On the night of an away game, I left my blanket on the bus but did not ride home on the bus. I texted Chris Gaither and asked him to leave it in the locker room for me so I could get it at a later date. Chris Gaither brought it to my house instead. Chris Gaither proceeded to talk to me for 10+ minutes making me feel very uncomfortable. Chris Gaither repeatedly asked me if I had a boy inside even after I told him no. My parents were not home that night - my dad was battling terminal cancer at the time and they were frequently at the hospital.
Chris Gaither inserted himself into a relationship I had with another male student. He frequently asked questions about myself and this student and gave his opinions about our relationship.
Chris Gaither would continuously pursue communication outside of school and basketball. For example, he was texting me while at a family party during the holidays in 2013. A family member saw his name on my phone and questioned why he would he contacting me outside of school.
In December 2013, the team was on an overnight trip for a tournament. Chris Gaither made a joke about the previously mentioned male student that upset me. That night back in the hotel room Chris Gaither texted me very late into the night talking about my relationship with boys and how he could not sleep during tournaments. At the time, I knew this was wrong but did not know how to process it. The dates of this tournament were between December 26-28th of 2013.
Closer to graduation Chris Gaither became increasingly more provocative. He asked questions about my sexual history. He talked to me about his time at Georgetown college and bragged about sleeping with many girls. He even told me he had gotten a vasectomy. He quoted a song by saying “pussy is power” to me multiple times. This made me feel extremely uneasy.
On June 13, 2014, I was babysitting his children while his wife was on a mission trip to Honduras. He came home after I had put the kids to bed and talked to me in his living room for over an hour. As I was walking out, Chris Gaither kissed me. I left very confused and uncomfortable.
On June 14, 2014, exactly two weeks after my high school graduation, Chris Gaither invited me over to talk. I was at a friends graduation party and left to talk to him under the impression he was going to explain what happened the night before. Chris Gaither’s kids were with family that night as he was supposed to pick up his wife from the airport the following day. Chris Gaither told me to park down the street and come in. Chris Gaither invited me into his bedroom and he initiated physical contact that led to sex.
In the following days, Chris Gaither told me that it would be different if he was my age.
For years after this, Chris Gaither would reach out to me over Snapchat and text. Specifically reaching out anytime the basketball team was at camp or an overnight trip. In college, Chris Gaither reached out to me through Snapchat to ask me if my boyfriend (now husband) knew we had sex.
In recent years I’ve told a few of my close friends who were Collins graduates themselves because I can recognize this was not a mistake I made but I was taken advantage of by an adult I trusted.
I am 30 years old now- around the same age he was when I was in high school. I have three children around the same age he did when I was in high school. As an adult, I am keenly aware that this is very wrong and wish I would have reported it so he was not able to continue this pattern of abuse. I am hopeful my statement will help put an end to this cycle of abuse and there will be no more victims of Chris Gaither.
Let me make this very clear - Chris Gaither used his position of power as a teacher and coach to groom me for two years in high school. Allowing him to go back into the classroom would be a huge disservice to me, the girls who have similar stories involving him and future female students. I understand now that this man is a predator and he should be held responsible for his actions.
Hayley (Murphy) Weddle
The witness statement that Amanda Lamping provided to SCPS can be read here.
Post from the Christ Community Church Facebook page in 2014 promoting the mission trip (June 8-15, 2014) that Chris Gaither’s wife was on the night that we had sex (June 14, 2014).
“As consensual or mutual as everything had been at the time, do you recall saying, like, having a desire for that?”
I recorded the full meeting that I had when delivering my written statement to Shelby County Public Schools on December 4, 2025.
In the recording you’ll hear three voices - the Assistant Superintendent of Operations, myself and Amanda Lamping (the witness noted in my statement).
In the recording, you will hear the Assistant Superintendent of Operations ask me if the relationship was something I desired.
This is part of the problem that his question was asked in the first place - do we have to wait for a relationship between a teacher and student to become physical before there is any intervention?
Martha Layne Collins Boys Basketball Banquet 2014
Nearly six years ago, I read Letter to my Hometown.
At the time, I was still early in my process of healing. I was not ready to come forward and never thought I would be. Laura’s letter was a catalyst for me to start speaking up about my own experience.
This email (dated February 9, 2020) was my first step.