Ep. 84-A Calculated Thanksgiving: The Joel Michael Guy Jr. Case

Our latest deep dive unpacks one of the most chilling Thanksgiving crimes on record: the calculated murders of Joel and Lisa Guy by their son, Joel Guy Jr. We trace the path from a simple welfare check to a home transformed into a chemical crime scene, where overheated air, acid-filled bins, and a pot simmering on the stove told investigators everything they needed to know.

We take you inside the psychology and logistics of the case: a 28-year-old supported into adulthood, no job, no deadlines, and total dependence colliding with his parents’ plan to retire and cut off funding. The spiral notebook found at the scene reads like a task list—knives, bleach, heat, disposal—revealing intent stripped of emotion. From Walmart receipts and surveillance videos to digital searches on chemical strength, we show how small facts stacked into a timeline that prosecutors could present with devastating clarity.

You’ll hear how the timeline unfolded over Thanksgiving weekend, the forensic logic of turning the thermostat to 90 degrees, and the grim attempts to dissolve and obscure evidence. We examine why the defense had so little room to maneuver and how the jury reached life without parole. Then we step back to ask the harder questions: what happens when endless support replaces boundaries, and how does entitlement curdle into something deadly? This is a case study in motive, method, and the modern investigative toolkit.

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Sources:

United States Court of Appeals – Standard Insurance Company v. Joel Michael Guy, Jr.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/21-5562/21-5562-2024-08-19.html 

FBI Press Release – Knoxville Fugitive Arrested by FBI for the Alleged Murder of His Parents
https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/neworleans/news/press-releases/knoxville-fugitive-arrested-by-fbi-for-the-alleged-murder-of-his-parents 

WBIR News Article – Joel Guy Murder Trial for Killing His Parents
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/joel-guy-trial-day-three-parents-were-victims-of-ferocious-attack/51-92d63b98-bf60-4491-8e04-85d8ba4381d7 

Chapters

• 0:00 Cold Open: A Thanksgiving Horror
• 1:00 Banter, Setup, And Theme
• 3:40 The Guys’ Family And Neighborhood
• 6:10 Welfare Check And Gruesome Discovery
• 10:20 The Chemical Stew And Evidence Trail
• 14:10 Who Is Joel Jr.
• 18:20 Finances, Retirement, And Motive
• 22:10 The Murder Blueprint Notebook
• 26:30 Purchases, Receipts, And Surveillance
• 30:20 Thanksgiving Weekend Timeline
• 33:50 The Killings And Dismemberment
• 38:00 Heat, Acids, And Botched Cover‑Up
• 41:40 Arrest In Baton Rouge