A Tennessee man will spend much of his life behind bars after admitting to a brutal and senseless crime that left his own mother — and her beloved pet — dead.
On Friday morning, 27-year-old Zachary Justin Hayes pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, aggravated cruelty to animals, and intentional killing of an animal, according to the Blount County District Attorney’s Office. Shortly after entering his plea, Hayes was sentenced to 37 years in prison by 5th Circuit Court Judge Tammy M. Harrington.
The charges stem from a horrifying incident in September 2023 at a home on Samples Road in Louisville, Tennessee. Deputies responding to the scene discovered 63-year-old Kimberly Hayes suffering from multiple stab wounds. Her pet cat had also been stabbed to death, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office.
Inside the home, investigators found several blood-covered knives scattered throughout the residence, including one blade that had snapped in half during the attack. Authorities quickly classified the case as a homicide and aggravated burglary, with suspicion soon falling on the victim’s son.
Hayes was arrested the following day at his own residence in Knoxville by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force, according to reporting from WATE.
During the investigation, Hayes admitted to killing his mother but offered no clear explanation for why. In video from his initial police interrogation later played in court, Hayes told investigators he had not planned the killing.
“I was not looking forward to it, planning it,” he said, according to a courtroom report from The Daily Times.
Hayes went on to describe chilling details of the night of the murder. He told investigators he stabbed his mother while she was sitting in her living room watching television, then poured himself a drink, finished watching a show, and went to bed.
Neighbors later recalled seeing a red Mercedes — a vehicle Hayes was known to use — parked outside the home the day before the body was discovered. When Kimberly Hayes failed to show up for work the next day, the car was gone. A concerned coworker stopped by the house and made the devastating discovery.
The medical examiner determined Kimberly Hayes died from a combination of stab wounds to the neck and head, placing her death late on Sept. 7 or early Sept. 8, 2023.
After police became involved, family members noticed the red Mercedes parked outside Hayes’ Knoxville residence. When he returned home on the night of Sept. 9, family members were present, and Hayes was taken into custody without incident.
During an earlier court hearing, Hayes reportedly broke down after being shown photographs of his mother’s body, telling the court he was scared on the night of the killing.
He received credit for time already served in pretrial detention, but the remainder of his 37-year sentence will be spent in state prison — closing a case that stunned the local community and left a family shattered.
He asked for this