SUMNER CO., Tenn. (WTVF) — An 83-year-old Sumner County man has been convicted of first-degree murder after prosecutors said he admitted to killing his 81-year-old wife inside their Portland home.
A jury found Joseph Anthony Scrofne guilty of the premeditated murder of Linda “Carole” Scrofne following a three-day trial, according to the Sumner County District Attorney General’s Office. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison.
Deputies with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office responded to the couple’s home in January 2025 after Scrofne reported finding his wife dead.
Scrofne initially told investigators she had fallen during the night, prosecutors said. Deputies, however, noticed injuries that did not match that explanation and continued investigating.
The next day, prosecutors said Scrofne admitted to Detective Phillip Douglas that he had decided to kill his wife.
Investigators said Scrofne told them he first tried to smother her with a pillow. When she fought back, he retrieved a rope and strangled her.
The jury convicted Scrofne of premeditated first-degree murder. Judge Jennifer S. Nichols imposed the mandatory life sentence.
The district attorney’s office credited the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Sumner County EMS and members of Linda Scrofne’s family for their work and assistance in the case.
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- Carrie Sharp
