An 83-year-old Tennessee husband will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of murdering his wife inside their home, prosecutors said.
Joseph Anthony Scrofne, 83, lived with his wife, Linda “Carole” Scrofne, 81, in Portland.
In January 2025, Scrofne called 911 and claimed he had found his wife dead inside their Portland residence after she fell during the night, authorities said.
Investigators did not believe his account. Authorities observed injuries inconsistent with a fall and continued investigating the death, police said.
During a follow-up interview with detectives, Scrofne admitted killing his wife, according to authorities.
The defendant first attempted to smother the 81-year-old woman with a pillow, prosecutors said.
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The victim fought back against the smothering. Scrofne then retrieved a rope and strangled her, prosecutors said.
The Portland resident told detectives he believed his wife would eventually end up in a nursing home with a poor quality of life, according to prosecutors.
The defendant also reportedly told investigators he hoped he would not have to go to jail for “doing his family a favor,” prosecutors said.
Jurors heard the evidence across a three-day trial, court records show.
The Tennessee jury found Scrofne guilty of first-degree murder in his wife’s death, according to prosecutors.
The judge sentenced the 83-year-old to the mandatory punishment of life in prison, court records state.
At his age, Scrofne will almost certainly die behind bars for killing the woman he claimed he was trying to spare from a diminished quality of life, according to the record.
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