CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Joshua and Jacob Hitchcock, the brothers who were found guilty of murdering their father in Carter County, were both sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.

A jury found both brothers guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in May. Jacob Hitchcock was also found guilty of tampering with evidence.

Joshua and Jacob were each sentenced to life in prison on their murder charges and handed 15 years for the conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charges.

Jacob received an additional three years for the tampering with evidence charge.

Their sentences will run concurrently, and both men are eligible for parole.

A motion for a new trial has been filed, an action Jacob’s attorney told News Channel 11 he intended to take when the guilty verdicts were announced. A status update for that motion is set for Dec. 19, 2025.

William “Bill” Hitchcock, the father of Joshua and Jacob, was found dead on his Elizabethton property by fishermen along the Watauga River. An autopsy report found he had been shot three times.

During the trial, prosecutors claimed Joshua and Jacob planned to kill their father after learning he planned to sell property that they would have inherited.

Joshua testified in the trial and admitted to shooting his father; however, he said he shot him in self-defense.