A Tennessee man told family and friends that his mother was “driving him crazy” in the days and weeks before she was found dead at her house, officials said.
The body of Edith Betty Ralph, 75, was discovered at her house in Carter County with gunshot wounds and severe trauma to her head.
Her son, John Ralph, 51, lived with her.
Ralph “made numerous statements to friends and family that his mother was driving him crazy,” according to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
“The night of Mrs. Ralph’s murder, John asked co-workers to take pictures of him at work saying that if anything happened to his mother he would need an alibi,” the office added.
Officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Marshals Service caught Ralph at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia on April 6 trying to flee the country and go to Amsterdam.
Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said officials learned that Ralph was due to fly out.
“We learned that he had purchased an airline ticket for Amsterdam that departed Atlanta at 10:20 that evening,” Lunceford told the Johnson City Press. “I don’t even know if we have extradition with Amsterdam.”
Ralph was arrested at 9:45 p.m., less than an hour before his flight was due to leave.
Ralph was being held at a local jail and was due to be extradited back to Tennessee to face charges.
According to a press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Carter County Sheriff’s Office, Ralph was charged with one count of first-degree murder and was being held on $1 million bond.
Tennessee officials said that a caregiver reported the death of Edith Betty Ralph and that an investigation uncovered evidence that John Ralph killed her.
The evidence was not detailed.
Since Ralph fled before officers could speak to him, Lunceford told the Johnson City Press, he has not been questioned about his mother’s death as of yet.
Father Charged in 8-Year-Old Son’s Killing
A California father accused of killing his 8-year-old son pleaded not guilty in a Riverside County courtroom on April 3.
Bryce McIntosh, 32, has been charged with first-degree murder with the special circumstance of torture in the death of Noah McIntosh, whose body has not yet been found.
He entered his plea one day after his arraignment was postponed due to unknown medical reasons, reported The Orange County Register.
McIntosh and Noah’s mother, Jillian Godfrey, have been detained on child abuse charges following the boy’s disappearance.
Even though the boy’s body has not been found, authorities said they have found evidence to allege that he was killed. Investigators found items like a trash can, a plastic bag with possible blood residue, latex gloves, and empty bottles of drain cleaner, according to court documents.
Officials believe McIntosh purchased the items before the boy went missing, according to documents obtained by ABC7. Police also used other evidence to charge McIntosh, including his cellphone, computers, and other electronic devices.
McIntosh’s cellphone searches showed results like “normal heart rate for 8-year-old” and “normal heart rate for 8-year-old when they are running” and “how exactly sodium hydroxide works” and “sodium hydroxide to water,” the news website reported.
The 32-year-old also reportedly searched for “what exactly is sulfuric acid,” “what does sulfuric acid do to aluminum,” “can you buy sulfuric acid,” and “what kind of plastic can stand uriatic [sic] acid,” on the web.
Investigators also found notes on the cellphone of Noah’s mother that documented how McIntosh allegedly abused their son. Some examples of alleged abuse include Noah being placed in hot water, being placed in cold water for two-and-a-half hours, and having his feet tied up in McIntosh’s bathroom, reported the news website.
Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this article.
