Polk County Sheriff's Office / John Scott Ball, 47.Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m. to correct the county in which John Scott Ball lives.
A McMinn County man was sentenced to life in prison Monday in the slaying of his father, according to the District Attorney's Office.
John Scott Ball, 47, of Etowah, pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to first-degree murder in the killing of his father, John Henry Ball, whose remains were found in Monroe County in May 2022, according to a news release from District Attorney Shari Tayloe's office.
Ball was also charged with abuse of a corpse, the release states. Ball shot his father, cut up the corpse in Polk County, then attempted to bury his father's remains in the mountains in Monroe County. A hiker found the remains in the Tellico Plains area in May 2022.
Tayloe praised the work of the city, county, district and state law enforcement agencies in the case.
"Securing a life sentence for such a gruesome crime can only happen with the diligence and teamwork of our local law enforcement agencies," Tayloe said in the release. "I am proud to partner with them."
Prosecution in the case was led by Assistant District Attorneys Aaron Chaplin and Krista Cochran, with Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Danielle Uselton.
— Compiled by Ben Benton