Chattanooga man sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for malice murder

Nicholas Antonio Cheaton, a 42-year-old Chattanooga man and longtime Chattanooga criminal, was sentenced to serve the remainder of his life in the Georgia Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 45 years for the murder of William Jones, a 39-year-old man from Chickamauga.

The evidence, presented to Superior Court Judge Don W. Thompson over a three-day bench trial, showed that William Jones’ mother arrived at her son’s house to pick him up for an appointment and found his burned body inside the home on March 14, 2025. Portions of Jones’ residence had been set on fire, and several items, including Jones’ cell phone, were missing. It was later determined that Jones had been murdered by a gunshot wound to the head. Several hours after Jones’ body was found, a family fishing near Booker T. Washington State Park in Chattanooga located Jones’ cell phone near the bank of the Tennessee River and contacted Jones’ family from the phone in an attempt to return it.

Text messages recovered by law enforcement officers revealed that Nicholas Cheaton was the last person Jones communicated with in the hours leading up to his murder and that Jones had invited Cheaton to his home on the night he was killed.

Law enforcement officers obtained cell tower records for both Cheaton’s and Jones’ cellular devices. The records revealed that Cheaton had been at Jones’ residence multiple times during the early morning hours of March 14. During the first trip, Cheaton shot Jones and took his cell phone. After the murder, Cheaton attempted to send himself several thousand dollars from Jones’ Cash App account linked to the phone. He then returned to the Chattanooga area, turned off the phone, and attempted to dispose of it in the Tennessee River. The phone landed on the riverbank, where it was later discovered by the fishing group.

Investigators determined that Cheaton later returned to Jones’ residence and stole multiple items, including electric tools, firearms, and electronic equipment. He then set fire to Jones’ body and attempted to burn the residence. Apple iCloud records showed that after leaving the home, Cheaton immediately began contacting people in an effort to sell Jones’ firearms.

Later that day, Cheaton asked a woman to accompany him to a local pawn shop, where she attempted to pawn several pieces of Jones’ stolen property.

Cheaton was arrested on March 21, 2025. Investigators learned he had been driving a rental vehicle equipped with GPS tracking technology during the time of the murder. Data from the vehicle confirmed that Cheaton had traveled to Jones’ residence multiple times, stopped near the location where the cell phone was discarded, and visited the pawn shop where stolen property was later recovered. Following the murder, Cheaton also traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida, for several days.

At the time of his arrest, investigators collected a DNA sample from Cheaton. The DNA matched evidence recovered from a cigarette left at the crime scene.

On June 3, 2026, Judge Thompson found Cheaton guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, first-degree arson, concealing the death of another, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 45 years.

In a statement, the Office of the District Attorney said, “William Jones was a loving son, brother, uncle, and friend to many. His murder, along with the actions of Nicholas Cheaton after his murder, demonstrates that evil does exist in this world, and it is personified by this defendant. The conviction of Cheaton and this sentence can never bring back what Will’s family lost, but it does ensure that this defendant will never again have the chance to do harm in our society.”

The District Attorney’s Office also credited the Walker County District Attorney’s Office, the Walker County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their work in securing the conviction.