The fact that Chris was ever allowed to take care of barb is an indictment of the entire system. Social services should have gotten involved years ago. That said given Chris's (extensive) psychiatric history and the general context of all this I could see chris being put in some sort of mental institution or home. There's definitely judges (especially in the south) who would have no problem throwing Chris in the pen, but if they do that they're doing it knowing what's going to happen. Chris won't last a second in prison and it would be extremely irresponsible for them to put him there. He'd probably spend most, if not all, his sentence in "protective custody", which is really just another word for solitary confinement. And these people know that. Also note: while chris could potentially get a very heavy sentence, sooner or later he's going to have to come out. And when he does he'll go right on to the street. This is not a person capable of taking care of themselves or being a responsible citizen, they need to be in some sort of institution. While I don't see Chris being able to afford a "good" lawyer, even an overworked public defender could make that argument in court. All this shit is extremely documented.
Though knowing what I do about our justice system and Chris's lack of foresight, more then likely he's just going to plead guilty the first time they ask him and spend 5-10 years getting the shit kicked out of him without ever going to trial.
