An investigation spanning nearly five years in Tennessee led to the arrest of Amanda Bishop and Eric Byrd, who were charged with first-degree murder in the killing of National Guard member Jacob Bishop. The authorities believe a custody dispute involving the couple’s child was the motive behind the killing. Jacob Bishop was found bound and shot multiple times in his apartment in Lenoir City in October 2019. His mother made the gruesome discovery when she went to check on him after he failed to show up for work.
Jacob Bishop, who had recently returned from a deployment to Poland, was described as a “very good man” by his mother. The investigation involved more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and approximately 400 possible suspects with ties to the victim. Amanda Bishop, who was Jacob Bishop’s wife at the time of his killing, was always considered a top suspect, according to authorities. The arrests of Amanda Bishop and Eric Byrd were the result of good detective work and new technology, providing some relief to Jacob Bishop’s family after years of heartache and uncertainty.
The sheriff’s office in Loudon County stated that Jacob Bishop’s killing was a result of heated animosity stemming from the custody dispute between the suspects. Amanda Bishop and Eric Byrd, who is Amanda’s cousin, were charged with first-degree murder and their bonds were set at $1 million each. Despite the arrests, many details about the custody dispute and the events leading up to Jacob Bishop’s killing remain unclear. The case had not gone cold and was investigated daily by law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Diane Bishop, Jacob Bishop’s mother, made the difficult decision to visit his apartment after he failed to show up for work, only to find him dead on the floor. While she refused to paint her son as a saint, she emphasized that he was a good man. The investigation into Jacob Bishop’s killing was described as complex, with numerous possible suspects and a lack of clear motives. Despite the challenges, law enforcement agencies persisted in their pursuit of justice for Jacob Bishop and his family.
The arrests of Amanda Bishop and Eric Byrd were a major breakthrough in the case that brought some closure to Jacob Bishop’s loved ones. The news of the arrests provided a sense of relief to Diane Bishop, who had been grappling with the pain and uncertainty of her son’s unsolved murder for years. The sheriff’s office credited the arrests to the dedication of detectives and advancements in technology that helped crack the case. Moving forward, the legal proceedings against Amanda Bishop and Eric Byrd will shed more light on the circumstances surrounding Jacob Bishop’s killing and offer some measure of justice for his family.
