ELIZABETHTON â A Carter County man pleaded guilty in Carter County Criminal Court on Thursday to a charge of killing his mother.
John Christopher Ralph, 53, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Edith Betty Ralph. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder.
Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street sentenced Ralph to 22 years in prison. According to state law, there is no release eligibility for a person convicted of second-degree murder. The law says Ralph will serve 100% of the sentence imposed by the court, less sentence credits earned and retained. But the sentence can only be reduced by a maximum of 15%.