In the late afternoon of a Friday in Crossville, Tennessee, the life of 58-year-old Joy J. Nostrom was tragically cut short. On September 14, 2018, law enforcement responded to a shooting at the Cumberland County school bus garage. Upon arrival, they discovered Joy Nostrom and another individual, 54-year-old Mark Gunter, with gunshot wounds. Joy Nostrom was pronounced dead at the scene, while Gunter was transported to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation quickly identified Joy Nostrom's estranged husband, 74-year-old Warren Nostrom, as the suspect. He was found at the scene with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. After being treated for his injuries and released from the hospital, Warren Nostrom was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He was subsequently booked into the Cumberland County Jail.
Court documents revealed a history of domestic turmoil leading up to the fatal shooting. Joy Nostrom had filed for divorce from her husband of 32 years just weeks before her death. She had also sought and been granted several orders of protection against him. In one of her requests for protection, she expressed fear for her life, stating that her husband had threatened to kill her. The couple was reportedly in the process of selling their house.
Following his arrest, Warren Nostrom faced legal proceedings. In January 2019, a Cumberland County Grand Jury indicted him on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder for the deaths of his wife and Mark Gunter. Ultimately, a jury found Warren J. Nostrom guilty on both counts, and the court imposed concurrent life sentences for the murders. An appeal of the conviction was later denied, affirming the trial court's judgment.
