Tennessee teen pleads guilty in murder of retired teacher

Publish date: 2024-07-22
Kyle Robert Wolfe, 15, of Mooresburg, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering 79-year-old retired elementary teacher Margaret Jack Sliger on her property

Kyle Robert Wolfe, 15, of Mooresburg, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering 79-year-old retired elementary teacher Margaret Jack Sliger on her property

A 15-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to killing a retired teacher at her East Tennessee home.

Hawkins County Judge John Dugger sentenced Kyle Robert Wolfe, of Mooresburg, to 25 years in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in 79-year-old Margaret Jack Sliger's death. 

Wolfe was prosecuted as an adult.

Authorities say Wolfe was 14 when he shot and stabbed Sliger on May 18, 2015, outside her home on Isenberg Lane in Mooresburg. 

He then attempted to hide Sliger's body in some bushes in her yard. It was found by her family members that night.

Sliger was shot twice in the head and her throat was slit. 

Wolfe, who lived adjacent to Sliger, was suspected after investigators learned she had confronted him for riding his four-wheeler in her cow pasture just before the murder, the Kingsport Times-News reports. 

He was linked to the murder by DNA evidence found on Sliger's clothing. 

Sliger's body was found in her yard by her family members the night of the murder

Sliger's body was found in her yard by her family members the night of the murder

Wolfe was arrested by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office and charged with first-degree murder as a juvenile on November 3, 2015.

During Wednesday's 20-minute plea hearing, members of Sliger's family watched as Wolfe answered Judge Dugger's questions. 

On March 31, Wolfe's 16th birthday, he will be transferred from the Hawkins County Jail to a Tennessee Department of Corrections.

Despite not being eligible for parole, Wolfe's sentence can be reduced for good behavior after serving a minimum of 20.5 years. 

The Sliger family agreed to the second-degree murder sentence, but told Attorney General Dan Armstrong they wanted him to serve more time in prison.

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Share Wolfe, who lived near Sliger, was suspected after investigators learned she had confronted him for riding his four-wheeler in her cow pasture just before the murder 

Wolfe, who lived near Sliger, was suspected after investigators learned she had confronted him for riding his four-wheeler in her cow pasture just before the murder 

Sliger raised chickens, cows and other animals on this family farm where she lived all her life

Sliger raised chickens, cows and other animals on this family farm where she lived all her life

'They (family members) agreed with me that the risk was too great. Obviously they want as much time as possible. That’s why I told the court ... they would obviously want more time if it was possible', Armstrong said. 

Defense attorney Mark Stapleton said Wolfe, who was living with his grandparents at the time of the murder, has a history of violence. 

'His mother has remarried and moved on, and his father unfortunately is incarcerated in Cocke County on theft charges.

'He has not had a close relationship with his father. He’s had a male influence issue that has been lacking, although his grandfather stepped up to the plate and did everything he can for his grandson', Stapleton said. 

Sliger, who never married and did not have children, was much beloved in Mooresburg. She was a retired teacher at Mooresburg Elementary School and church organist.

She raised chickens, cows and other animals on a family farm where she lived all her life. 

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