A Chattanooga man has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of the murder of a Walker County man.
Nicholas Cheaton, 42, was found guilty of murdering William Jones, 39, of Chickamauga, according to a press release from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The circuit covers Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties.
Jones’ mother found his body burned inside his home on March 14, 2025, according to the press release. Portions of the house had been set on fire, and some personal items, including Jones’ phone, were missing.
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe connected Cheaton with the incident, and Cheaton was arrested in Hamilton County before being extradited to Walker County.
The phone was found later that day by a family near Booker T. Washington State Park. The family used the phone to contact Jones’ family in an attempt to return it, the press release said. Law enforcement found messages on the phone that showed Cheaton had been the last person Jones was in contact with, and Jones had invited Cheaton over on the night of the murder.