William Gleason 'Bill' Hitchcock, Jr., a 63-year-old male, was found deceased in the driveway of his Elizabethton, Tennessee home on April 1, 2023. A group of fishermen on the Watauga River initially spotted him lying on the ground and, after receiving no response to their calls, alerted authorities. When Carter County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the Old Stoney Creek Road residence, they discovered that Hitchcock had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The investigation that followed soon centered on Hitchcock's two sons, Jacob Alexander Hitchcock and Joshua Elliott Hitchcock. More than a month after their father's death, the brothers were arrested on May 8, 2023, following indictments from a Carter County Grand Jury. Court documents revealed that the motive for the murder was a dispute over inheritance. The brothers had discovered that a house they were meant to inherit was being put on the market by their father. Texts between them reportedly included discussions about killing him, with one message from Joshua mentioning a 'drive by on him when I get the chance.' The fatal shooting occurred less than an hour after they learned the home was under contract.
During a seven-day trial, further details of the plot emerged. Prosecutors argued that Jacob Hitchcock had been obsessing over the property his father had inherited and was determined to keep it in the family. It was alleged that he alerted his brother, Joshua, when their father was leaving a nearby church, facilitating the murder. While Joshua Hitchcock admitted to shooting his father, he claimed it was an act of self-defense, citing a difficult relationship where his father would allegedly push him to the ground.
In May 2025, a Carter County jury found both Jacob and Joshua Hitchcock guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Jacob Hitchcock was also convicted of tampering with evidence. Following their convictions, both brothers were sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with an additional 15 years for the conspiracy charge. Jacob received a further three-year sentence for tampering with evidence.
