PORTLAND, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Sumner County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for first-degree murder after the 81-year-old reportedly told police: "I was going to murder her."
Arresting documents obtained by News 2 showed that a detective had responded to a death investigation call on Meadows Road Monday. Several deputies had expressed concerns with the deceased due to findings uncovered during their investigation, including bruising around the neck and blood on the side of her face.
The following day, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office responded to a call concerning suicidal comments made by 81-year-old Joseph Scrofne. Deputies found him driving back to the same address on Meadows Road and had detained him for safety. When asked if he had harmed his wife — 80-year-old Linda Scrofne — the day prior, Joseph allegedly told police he did.
"I strangled her," Joseph said, according to arresting documents.
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Joseph added he strangled her with a rope because "she was crazy," the documentation said. Joseph allegedly told deputies his wife had gotten up in the middle of the night and had fallen down multiple times. He also told deputies he did not want to go to jail "for doing his family a favor."
"Once he got her in the bed, he thought 'I might as well kill this b—, right now," arresting documents stated. "...'I was going to murder her and suicide on me [sic]."
Joseph was transported to the Sumner County Sheriff's Office without incident.
