Joie Dawes: Tennessee woman arrested for strangling mother to death, setting her home afire
KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE: A Tennessee woman has been taken into custody for allegedly murdering her mother. Joie Dawes, who has a lengthy rap sheet, set her mother's home on fire after strangling her to death.
The 43-year-old woman left her mother's deceased body in her Kingsport home on Saturday night, March 11, a year after she racked up a probation violation. Responding firefighters found Martha A Dozier's body in the home that was set ablaze, reported Law and Crime.
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What was Dawes' motive behind killing her mother?
According to a statement issued by the Kingsport Police Department, "On Saturday, March 11, just before 6 pm, first responders from both the Kingsport fire department and police department responded to a residence in Westmoreland Avenue in Kingsport in reference to a structure fire. Upon arrival, the home was found to be fully involved. During the fire attack and subsequent search, KFD firefighters discovered and recovered a deceased adult female victim who was later identified as Martha A Dozier."
A forensic autopsy will take place at the William L Jenkins Forensic Center in Johnson City, according to authorities who claimed that the ongoing investigation has "absolutely no further details to include the cause of death or possible motive, can or will be released at this time."
However, police stated that Dawes was caught exiting her mother's home just moments after it was on fire. Police said, "After considerable further investigation, to include a thorough processing of the scene and a subsequent interview with Ms Dawes, investigators were able to establish probable cause to determine that Ms Dawes was responsible for both the intentional death of her mother and the deliberate setting of the fire that followed."
What are the charges against Dawes?
Dawes, who is currently held in custody in the Kingsport City Jail, will be shifted to the Sullivan County Jail. She has been charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and aggravated arson. With a long-standing record of multiple crimes, she has been charged in various cases, including burglary and assault in failing court appearances from 2019 to 2021, reported Law and Crime.
In 2021, Dawes pleaded guilty to possession of aggravated burglary, possession of burglary tools, burglary of a vehicle, and theft. In March 2022, she also violated her probation. Following an alleged assault and vandalism incident that took place during Halloween in 2021, Dawes also faces a pending case that is listed as "open."