In the quiet, leafy suburbs of Knoxville, Tennessee, the Thanksgiving of 2016 was supposed to mark the beginning of a well-deserved new chapter for Joel and Lisa Guy. They were the kind of couple that defined the American dream—hardworking, loving, and deeply committed to their family. Joel Sr., 61, was an engineer who had spent decades building a stable life, while Lisa, 55, was a beloved administrator known for her warmth and reliability. Together, they had reached a milestone that many look forward to: retirement.

They had a plan. They were going to sell their spacious two-story home on Goldenview Lane, downsize, and finally enjoy the fruits of their labor. It was a time for celebration, a time to look forward to slower days and peaceful evenings. But before they could turn the page to this exciting new chapter, they hosted one final Thanksgiving gathering in their family home. Among the guests was their 28-year-old son, Joel Guy Jr., who had traveled from Louisiana to join them. To the outside world, it looked like a standard family reunion—parents welcoming their adult son home for the holidays. But beneath the surface of this domestic scene, a horrific narrative was being written, one fueled by greed, entitlement, and a complete absence of empathy.

The Silence That Spoke Volumes

The tragedy began to unfold not with a bang, but with a silence. Lisa Guy was a creature of habit and a pillar of reliability at her workplace. When she failed to show up for work on the Monday following the holiday weekend, alarm bells immediately rang for her colleagues. It was uncharacteristic, almost impossible, for her to vanish without a word. Her supervisor, sensing that something was deeply wrong, made the call to the Knox County authorities requesting a welfare check.

When officers arrived at the home on Goldenview Lane, the scene appeared eerily normal from the street. A “For Sale” sign stood in the yard, a symbol of the couple’s future plans. However, as police approached the house, subtle signs of distress began to emerge. There was a sense of stillness that felt heavy. Peering through the glass of the front door, officers noticed groceries—perishable items like sausages and bacon—sitting on the floor in the foyer, as if someone had dropped them and never returned to pick them up. It was a small detail, but in the context of a missing persons report, it was screaming that something terrible had occurred.

Upon entering the home, the officers were hit by a sensory wave that signaled danger. The heat in the house was stifling; the thermostat had been cranked up to over 90 degrees. Mingled with the oppressive heat was a chemical odor, harsh and acidic, that permeated the air. As they moved room by room, the heartbreaking reality of what had happened to Joel and Lisa Guy became undeniably clear. The couple had been the victims of a brutal and sustained attack within the sanctuary of their own home.

The “Book of Premeditation”

As investigators began to piece together the crime scene, they quickly realized this was not a random break-in or a robbery gone wrong. The house was secured, and there were no signs of forced entry. The violence was personal. But the smoking gun that would eventually shock the entire nation was found in a backpack belonging to their son, Joel Guy Jr.

Inside, authorities found a composition notebook. It looked like any ordinary school supply, but its contents were the stuff of nightmares. In his own handwriting, Joel Jr. had penned a detailed, step-by-step manifesto of his plan to end his parents’ lives. It was not a diary of emotional venting, but a tactical “to-do” list. He had meticulously outlined how he would attack them, how he would dispose of the evidence, and how he would clean the crime scene to avoid detection.

The notes revealed the motive with chilling clarity: money. Joel Jr. had been a perpetual student, living in Louisiana and supported almost entirely by his parents for his entire adult life. He had attended college for years but had no career to show for it. During that Thanksgiving visit, Joel Sr. and Lisa had planned to have a difficult but necessary conversation with him. They were retiring, and they could no longer support him financially. It was time for him to stand on his own.

To Joel Jr., this cutoff was unacceptable. His notebook detailed a plan to become the sole beneficiary of their life insurance and assets. He viewed his parents not as the people who raised him, but as obstacles between him and a payout of roughly $500,000. He had calculated the worth of their lives and decided the money was more valuable.

The Manhunt and Arrest

While the police were processing the heartbreaking scene in Knoxville, Joel Guy Jr. had already returned to his apartment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He had driven back, seemingly believing he had gotten away with the perfect crime, unaware that he had left behind a mountain of evidence. The heat and chemicals he used in an attempt to destroy DNA had failed to erase the truth. He had left his backpack, his wallet, and the damning notebook behind in the chaos of his departure.

On Tuesday, just a day after the bodies were discovered, authorities tracked him down. He was arrested outside his apartment complex as he tried to get into his car. The shock of the arrest rippled through two communities. In Louisiana, neighbors knew him as a quiet, somewhat reclusive student. In Tennessee, friends of the family were paralyzed by the realization that the polite young man they had seen growing up was capable of such darkness.

A Community Shattered

The trial of Joel Guy Jr. was an emotional marathon for the loved ones of Lisa and Joel Sr. The prosecution laid out the timeline of betrayal: the purchase of chemicals weeks in advance, the plastic bins, the knives. They painted a picture of a son who sat at the Thanksgiving table, eating the food his mother prepared, all while knowing exactly how he would end her life just hours later.

The courtroom footage showed a defendant who appeared completely detached. He showed no tears, no remorse, and no agitation. He sat stoically as the details of his parents’ final moments were read aloud. The sheer lack of humanity displayed by the accused was almost as disturbing as the crime itself.

In 2020, a jury found Joel Guy Jr. guilty on all counts, including two counts of first-degree murder. The judge, visibly moved by the heinous nature of the crime, sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences plus additional years for the abuse of a corpse. He was told he would never walk free again.

Legacy of a Lost Future

The case of Lisa and Joel Guy serves as a grim reminder of the fragility of life and the darkness that can reside in unexpected places. They were good people who did everything right. They worked hard, they loved their children, and they planned for a future together. Their only “mistake” was trusting that their son possessed the same moral compass they did.

The house on Goldenview Lane stood empty for a long time, a silent monument to the tragedy. But the community chooses to remember the Guys not for how they died, but for how they lived. They are remembered for their kindness, their professional dedication, and their love for one another.

As for the son who traded his parents for the promise of an inheritance he never received, he remains behind bars, a symbol of ultimate ingratitude. The notebook he wrote—the script of his own destruction—remains one of the most chilling pieces of evidence in Tennessee criminal history. It proved that evil is not always a monster in the shadows; sometimes, it is the person you welcome home for the holidays.