Joel Guy's appeals argument centers on whether he was a guest in the home when he killed his parents

The facts were gory.

Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies doing a welfare check at the home of Lisa Guy and Joel Guy Sr. could smell “death” after they opened a garage door. When they broke into the house, they were confronted with one of the most horrific scenes investigators had ever encountered.

It didn’t take long before deputies were able to link the brutal murders of the couple to their son, Joel Guy Jr.

Bolstered by what seemed like unassailable evidence during a 2020 trial, which included a murder notebook featuring a to-do list, a jury convicted Guy of two counts of first-degree murder, three counts of felony murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, plus four years.

But Guy, who is now 34 years old, has appealed his conviction and the motion denying him a new trial. Jonathan Harwell, his Knox County public defender, wrote 125 pages to a three-judge panel at the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals explaining issues with the evidence.

But in his oral presentation this week, Harwell honed in on a very specific legal argument: whether Guy − who was visiting from Louisiana to see his parents for Thanksgiving 2016 − was technically a part-time resident or simply an overnight guest.

Either of those categories would give Guy a reasonable expectation of privacy, Harwell argued, and the police shouldn't have walked in without a warrant even when they suspected something was amiss.

Assistant Attorney General Garrett Ward, of course, disagreed. He argued Guy rarely visited his parents' home and any protected status as a guest was extinguished the moment he attacked his parents.

What happened to Lisa Guy and Joel Guy Sr. after the family Thanksgiving celebration?

On Nov. 28, 2016, a patrol officer responded to the Guys' Goldenview Lane home after a 911 call from a coworker of Lisa Guy, who was worried because she had not shown up for work. The officer went to the house but didn't see anything alarming. Later that day, the coworker called 911 again with increasing concerns because Lisa had not shown up for a goodbye luncheon.

At some point, the real estate agent who was selling the house told detectives there was a garage door opener in one of the vehicles at the scene. When officers entered the garage, they testified they could smell decomposing bodies.

At trial, Knox County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jeremy McCord said the carnage was "the most horrific thing" he had ever seen.

The investigation quickly honed in on Joel Guy Jr. after police found evidence linking him to the killings, including a detailed murder notebook inside a backpack.

Prosecutors alleged Guy, a perpetual student who had never had a job, began planning his parents' murders in early November after they told him they were planning to retire and would cut him off financially.

Did the act of murdering his parents negate Joel Guy's right to privacy?

When police walked into the home's garage, they violated Guy's constitutional right to privacy, Harwell said. Prosecutors argued the homicides extinguished that standing.

Harwell said Guy should be considered a resident of the home because a bedroom there was earmarked for his use, although it was not his childhood home and he actually lived far away.

"He had a key to the house, he came and went as he wanted," Harwell said.

A different argument could be made for Guy's standing as an overnight guest, Harwell continued, adding that even though Guy left the house to go back to Louisiana to get medical care for cuts on his hand, he clearly had the intention to return.

Harwell argued Guy's expectation of privacy comes first, no matter what happened during that stay.

Police can only enter without a warrant in an emergency aid exception, he said, designed for urgent imminent harm such as when police see a trail of blood or hear screams.

"There was nothing like that here," he said.

Prosecutors argued Guy never actually lived in the Hardin Valley home and had moved away from his family more than a decade earlier.

As for Guy's status as an overnight guest, Ward said his parents welcomed him into the home, and Guy spent Thanksgiving with them and helped them move a boat before murdering them the following day.

When Guy killed his parents, Ward argued, his status changed from guest to intruder because the homicide destroyed the relationship between host and guest.

"When they fought back, it was no longer reasonable to suggest he is still a permitted guest in the home," Ward said.

Ward also sought to counter Harwell's argument against exigent circumstances, saying the calls from the coworker had escalated in urgency and there also was a need to prevent the destruction of evidence.

The appellate court judges have no specific time frame in which to make a decision. If Guy loses this appeal, he may appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter for Knox News. She can be reached by email at lkellar@knoxnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joel Guy appeal centers on whether he was a guest when he killed parents