Arrest Made in Murder of Goetcheus Brothers 19 Years Ago

DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

On Monday, October 24, 2016, the Hamilton County Grand Jury indicted 52-year old Christopher Jeffre Johnson on two counts of First Degree Murder in the January 1997 deaths of Sean and Donny Goetcheus.

25-year old Sean Goetcheus and his 19-year old brother, Donny, were last seen alive the evening of Wednesday, January 8, 1997.

The following evening, on January 9, 1997, police were called to 3207 Rosemont Drive, the house where the brothers lived. Inside were the bodies of both men, who had each been shot multiple times. Sean Goetcheus had been shot twice in the head and once in the neck. Donny had been shot once in the head and once in the face.

Originally, Chattanooga police investigators had very few leads and none of those developed. Leads have trickled in throughout the last two decades, mainly due to the continued media attention given to this case. All of those potential leads, except the defendant, were eliminated.

In August 2014, shortly before officially taking office,  District Attorney General Neal Pinkston asked the media to once again revisit the Goetcheus brothers’ case.  Later that year, he requested Governor Bill Haslam offer a $10,000 reward to help generate tips. Governor Haslam approved the request in February 2015. Later in 2015, the Cold Case Unit distributed reward posters throughout the area and repeatedly asked for the public’s help solving the case.

Meanwhile, the Cold Case Unit was also closing the 2004 cold case of Missy Ward. In January 2016, the Hamilton County Grand Jury indicted Christopher Jeffre Johnson for Ward’s murder.

Johnson, currently serving a 50-year prison sentence for the kidnapping and rapes of two girls, is a career offender who for years has bragged to other inmates about killing the brothers. He had not been taken seriously until Cold Case Unit detectives interviewed him for the Ward case.  Upon talking with Johnson, both investigators became convinced Johnson is responsible for the Goetcheus’ murders. In a series of conversations with CCU Supervisor Mike Mathis throughout the last year, Johnson has repeatedly confessed to the murders. Forensic experts confirm Johnson’s version of events is consistent with the crime scene. He has provided details that would only be known to the killer.  

If you have any information concerning this crime please call the Cold Case Hotline: 423-209-7470. Or you can send an email to: coldcases@hcdatn.org.