John Ralph has been identified as the 51-year-old Tennessee man who allegedly killed his 76-year-old mother Edith Betty Ralph before attempting to flee the country.
According to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, Ralph was arrested on Saturday, April 6, as he was heading to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after allegedly killing his 76-year-old mother, Edith Betty Ralph.
The body of Edith Betty Ralph was found with severe head trauma and multiple gunshot wounds at John Ralph’s home in Carter County, Tennessee, on Saturday, April 6.
In a statement, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office said that on the night of Edith Betty Ralph’s death, John Ralph allegedly asked his co-workers to take photos of him at work as he said he would need an alibi if anything happened to his mother.
According to a report from the Johnson City Press, Tennessee investigators “quickly” discovered evidence that implicated Ralph in the murder such as a plane ticket to Amsterdam.
After the evidence discovery, Tennessee authorities contacted the US Marshal’s Office for assistance in detaining Ralph, who was eventually arrested in Georgia.
Ralph allegedly told investigating authorities that his mother was “driving him crazy.” He has since been charged with the first-degree murder of his mother. Additionally, Ralph allegedly told police that “he was trying to go to jail because he was being followed by unknown persons who were driving him crazy.”
As a result, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office reportedly ordered that Ralph undergo a mental evaluation.
Following his arrest, Ralph was taken the Clayton County Jail in Georgia, where he remains on $1 million bond as he awaits extradition to Tennessee.
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