The Calculated Killer: Joel Michael Guy Jr. and the Thanksgiving Murders

A Killer’s Checklist: Errands with a Dark Purpose

“Get killing knives, get sledgehammer, bring food grinder, get bleach…”

Sounds like the twisted to-do list of a Hollywood villain, right? Except this isn’t fiction. This is a verbatim excerpt from the actual notes of Joel Michael Guy Jr., a man preparing to commit two heinous murders. These weren’t random acts of violence—they were methodical, calculated, and rooted in betrayal.

The victims? His own parents. Joel Michael Guy Sr., a respected pipeline engineering designer, and Lisa Guy, his devoted wife of 31 years. Their love story had blended families: Joel Sr. brought three daughters from a previous marriage, and Lisa warmly welcomed them into her life. Soon, the couple added a child of their own, a son named Joel Michael Guy Jr., affectionately called Joel Michael by the family.

Building a Picture of Family Life

For most of their marriage, Joel Sr.’s lucrative career allowed Lisa to focus on raising their son. And by all accounts, she threw herself into motherhood with everything she had. Lisa adored Joel Michael, who grew up quiet, reserved, and seemingly content. He lacked for nothing, thanks to Lisa’s dedication.

When the time came for college, Lisa didn’t hesitate to return to the workforce, taking a job as a human resources accounts administrator. Nearly her entire paycheck went toward supporting Joel Michael’s education, covering everything from tuition to living expenses.

From the outside, this might’ve seemed like a parenting win. Joel Michael was enrolled at George Washington University, pursuing his dream of becoming a plastic surgeon. His bills were paid, and he had the space and support to focus entirely on his studies. What more could a young man ask for?

But as we’ll see, life isn’t always what it seems.

The Guy Family’s New Chapter: Retirement Dreams and Hidden Tensions

Life was finally settling into a peaceful rhythm for Joel Guy Sr. and Lisa Guy. With their son, Joel Michael, out of the house and (supposedly) building his future, the couple could finally focus on themselves. Hiking, days on the water, and doting on their growing brood of grandchildren filled their time—a well-earned reward after decades of hard work and sacrifice.

But life, as it often does, had other plans. Joel Senior, at 61, lost the prestigious job that had long been the foundation of their financial stability. Faced with an uncertain future, the couple made a decision: rather than reenter the workforce, Joel would retire. They had savings, retirement plans, and a shared vision for the next phase of their lives. They would sell their Knoxville home and move to Surgoinsville, a place close to Joel’s heart, where they could spend their golden years.

It was a thoughtful, practical plan—except for one glaring complication.

A 28-Year-Old Dependent with No Plans

For nearly a decade, Joel Michael had been a full-grown adult living a life subsidized by his parents. At 28, he was still “working” on his dream of becoming a plastic surgeon—a dream that had, in reality, fizzled after just one semester at George Washington University. He’d dropped out, failed to find direction, and never held a job. Instead, he depended entirely on the money Lisa earned to fund his lifestyle.

For Joel Senior and Lisa, retiring meant one unavoidable consequence: financially cutting off their son. Lisa’s salary, which had been Joel Michael’s lifeline for years, would no longer be available. It was time for him to stand on his own two feet—a reality they openly discussed with his half-sisters over Thanksgiving 2016.

Joel Michael had already been given the news. His parents had been clear: he had several months to figure out how to support himself. By all appearances, he took the announcement in stride. But appearances, as we’ve learned, can be deceiving. Beneath his quiet, reclusive exterior, something far darker was brewing.

A Financial Motive Turns Deadly

Joel Michael Guy Jr. wasn’t just brooding over his impending financial independence—he had a plan. He knew his parents had life insurance policies, each worth $500,000. If one parent died, the other would collect the payout. But if both died at the same time? That money, along with the house, savings, and other assets, would go straight to their next of kin: Joel Michael himself.

With this grim arithmetic in mind, Joel Michael started preparing for what would become a horrifyingly calculated crime. Surveillance footage shows him shopping for supplies as early as November 7, 2016. Over multiple trips, he assembled a so-called “murder kit,” buying items like knives, a sledgehammer, a food grinder, and enough bleach to sterilize a crime scene. He paid in cash, used self-checkout whenever possible, and completed his final purchase just five days before the murders.

Thanksgiving 2016: The Calm Before the Storm

On November 26, 2016, Joel Michael returned to his parents’ Knoxville home. Just days earlier, he had been there for Thanksgiving, though he spent most of the holiday in his childhood bedroom, avoiding the family. This time, he had a chilling agenda.

Upstairs in the home gym his father had set up, Joel Senior likely thought nothing of encountering his son. Joel Michael, however, was ready. Armed with one of the knives he had meticulously purchased, he ambushed his father.

A Brutal Attack

Joel Senior, a physically fit and active 61-year-old, fought back fiercely. The struggle tore through the room, leaving overturned exercise equipment, shattered blinds, and blood smeared across the walls. Despite his strength, Joel Senior was overpowered. Joel Michael stabbed him over 40 times, with one blow so forceful that part of the knife blade broke off in his father’s shoulder.

When the struggle finally ended, Joel Senior lay dead. For Joel Michael, the hardest part was over—or so he thought. Now, he turned his attention to his next victim: his mother.

Lisa Guy’s Final Moments

Lisa had been out grocery shopping while her husband was being attacked. When she returned home, something must have tipped her off that all was not well. She dropped her groceries near the door and rushed upstairs, heading directly to the gym.

What greeted her was unthinkable, and she had no time to process it. Joel Michael, the son she had loved and sacrificed for, attacked her with the same brutal ferocity. He stabbed her more than 30 times, breaking nine of her ribs in the process.

A Disturbing Cleanup Plan

With both parents dead, Joel Michael set about carrying out a meticulous and gruesome cleanup, as outlined in a handwritten notebook recovered later by investigators. His plan was detailed and methodical, aimed at ensuring his parents’ bodies would never be found intact.

He started with his mother. Using knives and brute force, he decapitated her, the coroner later determining that her head was mostly removed by pulling and twisting. He placed her head in a pot on the stove to boil. He dismembered both parents, severing arms, legs, and hands, and placed their torsos in large containers filled with corrosive chemicals in the bathroom. Finally, he turned the house’s heat to its highest setting to accelerate decomposition.

A Fatal Oversight

Despite his gruesome attention to detail, Joel Michael overlooked one critical element: Lisa’s job. When she didn’t show up for work the following Monday, her boss grew concerned and called the police for a welfare check.

What officers found when they arrived would defy even the darkest imagination.

The Discovery: A Scene Beyond Comprehension

When two officers arrived at the Guy family home to perform a welfare check, they expected the usual—perhaps an accidental fall or a miscommunication. What greeted them instead was the stuff of nightmares. The stench hit them first, an overwhelming odor that made them gag. As they moved through the house, the horrifying reality unfolded.

In the dining room, they found Joel Senior and Lisa’s wallets and Joel Michael’s sledgehammer casually placed on a table. Another table was cluttered with firearms. But it was in the kitchen where the true horror lay: a pot simmering on the stove, containing Lisa’s head in what investigators would later call a “diabolical stew of human remains.”

The house was a tableau of violence and calculated cruelty. Bloody clothes were piled throughout. In the bathroom, the parents’ torsos were dissolving in corrosive chemicals. In the gym, Joel Senior’s hand had been left on a bench, as if casually discarded.

Arrest and Trial: Justice for Joel and Lisa Guy

Joel Michael was immediately flagged as a suspect. Investigators put him under surveillance for two days before arresting him outside the Baton Rouge apartment that his mother’s money had still been paying for. A search of his car revealed yet another chilling clue: the meat grinder he’d purchased as part of his murder kit.

During his trial, Joel Michael pleaded not guilty, despite the mountain of evidence against him, including his meticulous notebook detailing the plan to dismember and dispose of his parents. Bizarrely, his legal team requested the death penalty if he were convicted. The court denied this request, and his defense offered no counterarguments or evidence of his innocence.

Joel Michael was ultimately found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Even as recently as 2023, his appeals to have the sentence overturned were denied, ensuring he remains behind bars.

Conclusion: A Betrayal That Defies Explanation

The murders of Joel Guy Sr. and Lisa Guy stand as a tragic reminder of how appearances can mask unspeakable realities. A family that once seemed tight-knit and supportive was torn apart by greed and violence, orchestrated by the very son they had loved and sacrificed for.

Joel Michael Guy Jr. now spends his days in prison, leaving behind a legacy of horror. His parents, however, are remembered for their kindness, dedication, and love—a stark contrast to the brutality they faced in their final moments. Their story, though devastating, continues to resonate as a cautionary tale of betrayal and the darkness that can lurk where it’s least expected.