Tennessee man sentenced to life in prison for strangling 81-year-old wife with a rope
09/06/2026 6:00 am PDT
SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (TCN) -- An 83-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the strangulation death of his wife last year.
According to a press release from Sumner County District Attorney General Thomas Dean, deputies responded to a home in January 2025 after receiving a report from Joseph Scrofne that his wife, 81-year-old Linda Scrofne, had fallen and was dead. Officers saw that her injuries were not consistent with what had been described in the call.
During an interview the next day, Scrofne told investigators he had planned to kill his wife and initially tried to smother her using a pillow. He strangled her with a rope when the smothering attempt failed, according to the press release. During the interview, he claimed he believed his wife would be placed in a nursing home and given oatmeal until she died.
Scrofne was sentenced to life in prison on Sept. 3 immediately after a jury found him guilty of premeditated first-degree murder, according to the press release.
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