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Inmate sentenced to life in prison after he pleads guilty to three local cold-case murders

David Goetcheus, father of Sean and Donny Goetcheus, left, and their stepmother Julenne, center, listen as District Attorney Neal Pinkston speaks during a news conference at the Cold Case Unit offices to announce the resolution of the 19-year-old cold case of the murders of the two brothers held on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, in Chattanooga. Christopher Jeffre Johnson, 52, was indicted Monday by the Hamilton County Grand Jury on 2 counts of first-degree murder in the 1997 slaying.
David Goetcheus, father of Sean and Donny Goetcheus, left, and their stepmother Julenne, center, listen as District Attorney Neal Pinkston speaks during a news conference at the Cold Case Unit offices to announce the resolution of the 19-year-old cold case of the murders of the two brothers held on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, in Chattanooga. Christopher Jeffre Johnson, 52, was indicted Monday by the Hamilton County Grand Jury on 2 counts of first-degree murder in the 1997 slaying. David Goetcheus, father of Sean and Donny Goetcheus, left, and their stepmother Julenne, center, listen as District Attorney Neal Pinkston speaks during a news conference at the Cold Case Unit offices to announce the resolution of the 19-year-old cold case of the murders of the two brothers held on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, in Chattanooga. Christopher Jeffre Johnson, 52, was indicted Monday by the Hamilton County Grand Jury on 2 counts of first-degree murder in the 1997 slaying.

By Steve Johnson 3 min read

A 52-year-old inmate already serving a 50-year prison sentence for kidnapping and rape pleaded guilty Monday to three cold-case murders.

Christopher Jeffre Johnson was sentenced to life without parole for the killings of Sean and Donny Goetcheus and Melissa Ward. He pleaded guilty to three counts of first- degree murder.

Investigators had spent years trying to solve the 1997 slayings of the Goetcheus brothers and the 2004 disappearance and death of Ward.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole accepted Johnson’s plea and sentenced him to three separate life sentences, each without the possibility of parole.

“A lot of hard work and effort went into [this case] for many, many years, and it is good to see that it’s come to a conclusion,” Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston said.