A Knoxville man is facing a bevy of charges, including first-degree murder, after being indicted in the grisly slaying of his 63-year-old mother in Blount County, court officials confirmed. Zachary Justin Hayes, 25, was indicted on March 4 for the murder of Kimberly Hayes, whose body was discovered at a Louisville residence last fall, as reported by WVLT.
Adding to the macabre scene, a feline was also found stabbed to death, leading to additional charges of abuse of a corpse and aggravated cruelty to animals, the details of the incident were culled from the Blount County Sheriff's Office, which found Kimberly Hayes dead after being called to her home on Samples Road, September 8, 2023, it was reported by WATE.
Hayes, who was initially charged with criminal homicide alongside other charges, remains in custody at the Blount County Jail, where he is held on a bond exceeding $1 million, this according to by WBIR.
An autopsy on Kimberly Hayes confirmed the mother had been stabbed multiple times, wounds that were inflicted even post-mortem, leading to the son's arrest on the following day where "a BCSO detective who interviewed Hayes said he confessed and provided specific details about the crime scene and evidence that only the killer would know," an interview divulged details that were exclusive to the crime scene, as recounted to WBIR.
The Grand Jury's indictment now propels the case into the trial phase, where Hayes will confront the legal ramifications of the charges, a final resolution seems far off as the court prepares for what could become a drawn-out legal battle.
