Codds recalled: 'My heart just ripped in half'

They were great people by themselves, but an even better couple.

That's how friends describe Cristie Schoen Codd and her husband, J.T. Codd, who were married last September in Leicester. She was a caterer and celebrity chef, an adventurous Southern girl; he was a "grip" on television sets, handling camera equipment and always looking out for other people, no matter how long the day dragged on.

"She was an amazing, amazing, lovely woman," said Julie Helton, a Los Angeles resident and television producer. "She was a phenomenal cook, and she always invited people over to have dinner and taste some good Southern food. She made some of the most amazing birthday cakes, and her laugh was contagious. Just the two of them together were just so happy and loving. They were just amazing friends."

The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office said Joseph "J.T." Codd, 45, and Cristie Schoen Codd, 38, and her unborn child were murdered this week. They had lived in Leicester after moving from California.

A neighbor, Robert Jason Owens, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, as well as breaking and entering, and larceny after breaking and entering. He faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole on the murder charges.

Helton said she met J.T. Codd when they spent four seasons working together on the television show "Without a Trace." They also worked together on "Melrose Place," often logging 14-hours days in an industry known for grueling work schedules.

"No matter how hard the work was or how long the hours were, he was always in a good mood, always there to help people do what they had to do — just an all-round good human being," Helton said.

Cristie Codd, who went by her professional name of Schoen, was a finalist in season eight of the TV show "Food Network Star," according to the show's website. It noted that she "grew up in a military family in Biloxi, Miss., cooking Cajun cuisine with her dad and family from New Orleans."

She attended Louisiana State University and "studied abroad in Germany, where she discovered an appreciation for European food and cooking techniques," according to Food Network Star. "She later moved to Los Angeles and unexpectedly found success in the movie catering business, where she created and prepared food for a variety of different tastes."

In Asheville, she wanted to own an aquaponics farm and was interested in starting a farm-to-table cafe serving locally grown foods. Helton said the couple wanted to get back to the South and start a family.

"Cristie always wanted to be a mommy," Helton said.

The entertainment website IMDb's listing for Schoen Codd notes that she worked as an actress and stunt double. Her bio on the site states she was "born in Madrid, Spain to two hard working military parents, William and Elizabeth Schoen."

Her family has lived in New Orleans, since the 1800s. Schoen Codd graduated from LSU with a double major in German and performing arts, studied at The Atlantic Theatre Company in New York, and acted in stage plays, according to IMDb.

Reached through Facebook, Betty Schoen, Cristie's mom, said she could see through the social media site "how great a person Cristie was." But she declined a request for an interview.

"We don't really want to talk," she said.

James Fisher, a member of a local band Blue Dragons, which played the Codds' wedding last September, described them as a "beautiful couple" and extremely nice people.

"He was an L.A. guy," said Fisher, who is also a sales manager at the Citizen-Times. "I know he believed in giving people second chances, and he'd hired people out there who'd been in prison."

Fisher said the wedding was "a hell of a fun wedding," with J.T. Codd genuinely concerned that the band hadn't eaten.

"He made sure we were taken care of," Fisher said. "They brought us over a cooler of beer. Just a great couple."

That sounds like Codd, Helton said. He truly believed in second chances for people.

"There wasn't a mean bone in his body," Helton said. "Apparently, this gentleman (Owens) was even at their wedding, serving turkey at their wedding. He apparently even hired him as a handy man around the house. Honestly there wasn't a mean bone in either of their bodies. I never saw either of them get angry. They were lovely; even more so together."

Steven Supper, who became good friends with Cristie Schoen Codd in Los Angeles, said "she was all about a sense of community, bringing people together and making people feel welcome." On Memorial Day a couple of years ago, Supper said, Schoen Codd cooked for a crowd of more than 40 people.

"She had a really loving, beautiful soul," said Supper, who now lives in Minneapolis. "It just breaks my heart."

She could be tough, too, though, and wasn't the kind of person you'd want to do wrong, Supper said.

"She didn't want people to mistake her kindness for weakness," he said.

Like a lot of the couple's friends, Helton held out hope initially that the Codds were just missing, that they would turn up, ready to welcome their child to the world.

"When I heard it (Monday) night, about 7 p.m. LA time, that their bodies had been found, my heart just ripped in half," Helton said. "I did everything in my own power to not think about how they perished, but instead think about the gifts they gave us while they were here."