83-Year-Old Portland Couldn’t Bear Watching Her Wife “Eat Oatmeal Until She Died” at the Nursing Home, so He Kills Her
He called it doing his family a “favor.”
Growing older can force families to make difficult choices about care, but those choices are supposed to protect the person who needs it. One Tennessee man apparently believed he knew what was best for his wife’s future. He made a decision she would never get the chance to make for herself.
Joseph Anthony Scrofne, 83, has been convicted of first-degree murder for killing his 81-year-old wife, Linda “Carole” Scrofne, at their Portland, Tennessee, home. According to Law&Crime, Joseph initially reported her death as an accident, claiming she had fallen during the night. Investigators soon found reasons to question that story.
The case began in January 2025, but Joseph’s explanation for what happened would eventually become far more disturbing than his original account. Authorities say he admitted killing Linda and later explained why he believed doing so was preferable to what he imagined was waiting for her as she got older.
He Really Thought This Was Better
Investigators found bruising around Linda’s neck and blood on her face, injuries that authorities said were inconsistent with Joseph’s claim that she had fallen. The following day, law enforcement received information that Joseph might be suicidal and met him at his residence.
During a follow-up interview, Joseph admitted hurting his wife. When a detective asked what he had done, he replied, “I strangled her.” Prosecutors said he initially tried to smother Linda with a pillow, but she fought back. He then retrieved a rope and strangled her.
Joseph also told investigators that he had considered killing himself. He reportedly described his plan as murdering Linda and then dying by suicide.
“I might as well kill this b— right now,” Joseph told the detective. “I was going to murder her and suicide on me.” He also expressed hope that he would not have to go to jail for what he considered doing his family a “favor.”
His reasoning centered on what he believed Linda’s future would look like. Joseph told investigators that he thought his wife would eventually end up in a nursing home, where, in his words, she would be given “oatmeal until she died.”
Questions about caring for a spouse as their health declines can put enormous pressure on families. But there is no indication in the information released by prosecutors that Linda had chosen the future Joseph described for her.
While cases involving older married couples can take tragic turns, Joseph’s own statements became a key part of the case against him. Prosecutors presented both his confession and his stated motive during his trial.
After a three-day trial, jurors found Joseph guilty of first-degree murder. Sumner County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer S. Nichols sentenced Joseph to mandatory life imprisonment. At 83 years old, he is now set to spend the rest of his life in prison.
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