Family members of murder victims Joel Michael Guy Sr., 61, and Lisa Guy, 55, bared their hearts in victim impact statements delivered Friday, shortly after the couple’s son Joel Michael Guy Jr., 32, was convicted in their murders. Even so, the defendant’s face remained as placid as it did during the trial.
Lisa’s brother Alvin Madere Jr. explained how their mother was hospitalized for the last time days after November 26, 2016 murders.
“She never exited the hospital,” he said. “The loss of her child was difficult for her. One that I hope I never have to endure. But to find out your daughter was murdered by your own grandchild was heartbreaking.” Their mother was unable to attend the funeral. She passed away the day after.
As Madere shared this story, Guy Jr. appeared to ask for something at his table. He was given a small bottle of water. He took a drink, swished it in his mouth, and wiped his lips with his right hand. He returned to listening.
“She truly died of a broken heart,” Madere said.
As seen on footage, Guy Jr. appeared to show no visible reaction to the statements from his heartbroken relatives.
The Guys were a blended family. Trial testimony detailed that the defendant was the only child of both victims. Guy Sr. had daughters from a previous relationship, and Lisa was described as a loving mother to them all.
“Dad and Lisa were wonderful,” the defendant’s half sister Chandise Fink said. “They were larger than life. They were so happy, and such really good people. And they loved him. They loved him so much. They loved all of us, and for anyone to do what he did, I don’t understand it.”
“This has impacted my kids,” the defendant’s half sister Michelle Tyler said in court. “And for that, I will never be able to forgive. I rest easy knowing that God is okay with my choice not to forgive someone that has murdered my parents.”
“Dad was my best friend,” said the defendant’s half sister Angela Crane. “And I’ll never get to hear his laugh again. Or his just incredible hugs. I’ll never get to sit and banter with him, and hear the same stories we’ve all heard over and over but they’re still just as hilarious because dad was such a storyteller.”
Guy Sr.’s sister Robin White said that Lisa was “like my sister.”
“She was the most loving and giving person I’ve ever met,” Crane said about Lisa Guy. “She would give the shirt off her back to anyone. She was my best friend too. They were both robbed of seeing their grandkids grow up.”
Guy Jr. was found guilty Friday on charges of first-degree premediated murder in the deaths of his parents, felony murder, and abuse of a corpse.
According to prosecutors, the defendant killed the victims after they planned on cutting off financial support to the then-28-year-old defendant. Testimony indicated that they said it was time for him to stand on his own feet. The defendant killed his father at home, and did the same to his mother when she returned home. He dismembered their bodies, and attempted to dissolve the remains in acid, according to authorities. Guy Sr. put his mother’s head to boil in a pot. The defense attempted to suggest that the state lacked the evidence to tie Guy Jr. to the murders. Jurors sided with the prosecution.
“Justice has prevailed today, and I am so thankful for that,” White said at vicitm impact statements.
The formal sentencing is set for November 19. The defendant’s punishment for the first-degree murder and felony murder charges is a given: an automatic life sentence with the possibility of parole after 51 years. It is unclear if there are going to be consecutive sentences in the case. The prosecution did not seek death. A spokesman for Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen has declined to say why, citing the ongoing nature of the case.
[Screengrab via Law&Crime Network]