A Tennessee woman was heard screaming, ‘he’s got a gun.’ Now her husband is pleading guilty to her murder.

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (WSMV) – A 72-year-old man in Pickett County entered a guilty plea to the second-degree murder of his wife Theresa Marie Foutch.

Johnny Ray Foutch was sentenced to 20 years in custody of the Department of Corrections at 100% day for day, said District Attorney Bryant C. Dunaway.

Theresa’s adult sons were consulted about the plea and were supportive of the sentence.

Dunaway said that the incident in question took place on July 13, 2025, at their home in Byrdstown. The Pickett County Sheriff’s Office paid a visit to their home after Johnny’s daughter requested that officers check on the married couple.

When Chief Deputy Steve Wilbur arrived at the home and approached the front of the house, he says he overheard a man and a woman arguing inside.

He said he then heard the female voice yell, “He’s got a gun.” That’s when he says he heard a gunshot.

The deputy took cover outside the home. Moments later, Johnny walked out the front door holding a Sig Sauer handgun.

Wilbur secured Johnny and went into the home, where he found Theresa lying face down in the living room. She appeared to have been shot in the back.

Officers searched the home and said they found a shell casing on the floor of the dining room, just 10 to 15 feet away from Theresa’s body.

Dunaway said that a forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy determined that Theresa’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to her back. The manner of her death, the pathologist said, was homicide.