Two Tennessee brothers charged with murdering their father allegedly planned to kill him after learning he’d made plans to sell a home they would have inherited.
Jacob and Joshua Hitchcock were charged with first-degree murder Monday after an investigation by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office (CCS) into the death of William “Bill” Hitchcock Jr., their father.
Court documents obtained alleged that the Hitchcock brothers planned to kill their father after he made plans to sell a home they would have inherited.
Jacob and Joshua each face a charge of first-degree murder in Bill Hitchcock’s death according to documents, which allege that Joshua Hitchcock shot Bill Hitchcock. A presentment in Carter County Criminal Court states they also each face a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Jacob Hitchcock is also charged with tampering with evidence.
The CCSO began investigating after Bill Hitchcock was found dead on April 1 in a driveway on Old Stoney Creek Road by a group of fishermen who were passing by.
The presentment states that the brothers had discussed killing their father due to their status as his only heirs to property. Bill Hitchcock was not married and had no other children.
According to the presentment, Jacob texted a link to his brother on March 25 showing property belonging to their father, which had previously belonged to their grandparents, was listed as for sale.
Joshua Elliott allegedly texted back “with frustrations that William Hitchcock Jr. had wasted money and had to sell the house,” according to the presentment.
Investigators allege that Joshua texted to his brother that he was “going to start carrying my pistol riding my bike and do a drive by on him when I get the chance.”
The presentment states that on March 31, Jacob Hitchcock drove to an address in Elizabethton to watch his father’s home from across the Watauga River. The brothers also made calls to one another between the hours of 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to the documents.
Investigators alleged that at 5:50 p.m. on March 31, Jacob Hitchcock texted his brother with the information that the property for sale had gone under contract. A little more than 20 minutes later, the presentment states Joshua Hitchcock drove a motorcycle to his father’s home and shot and killed him when he arrived home.
Jacob Hitchcock’s tampering with evidence charge stems from his alleged destruction of recorded video at his father’s home.
Britney Hitchcock, previously identified by the CCSO as the wife of Jacob Hitchcock, has been charged with false report in the investigation. The presentment states she told police her husband had been home all day on the day Bill Hitchcock was killed.
As of Tuesday evening, all three people charged in relation to Bill Hitchcock’s death have been released on bond.
Tell us your thoughts...