Murfreesboro, TN – The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the death of a man who was the primary suspect in his wife’s death. Eighty-seven-year-old John Sorace, a former assistant chief for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, died on Feb. 20 after a 13-day hospital stay for a pre-existing illness. Prior to being transported to the hospital, Sorace was held behind bars on a charge of reckless homicide, accused of killing his wife last month. Evidently, he had an upcoming court hearing in General Sessions Court.
Sorace lived in the Blackman area on Dundee Court, where his wife was believed to have been killed on January 9, 2025. Two days after the woman's death, Sorace was taken into custody and booked into the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, where he remained until Feb. 7. Jail Administrator Kevin Henderson stated that Sorace was in custody at the hospital, where a deputy was present the entire time. Chief Deputy Keith Lowery said Sorace's family was notified and requested palliative care.
Sorace previously served as an assistant police chief with the Metro Nashville Police Department. He also worked under Metro PD Chief Joe Casey, who served as Chief of Police in Nashville from 1974 to 1989.
In years past, Sorace testified before Congress during the Civil Rights Movement, discussing the riots that occurred in Nashville in 1968. At that time, he was reportedly injured on Centennial Boulevard during the riots when a rock struck him from behind. The front windshield of his unmarked police car was also shattered when rioters threw numerous rocks at his patrol car.
Sorace was suspected of shooting his wife at their home in the Blackman area on January 9, 2025. Rutherford County District Attorney Jennings Jones stated that the case would be closed due to Sorace’s death.
- Previous News Article HERE.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
Previous Article on Tuesday: Former Metro Nashville Assistant Police Chief John Sorace passed away February 20, 2025 after a 13-day hospital stay for a pre-existing illness. The 87-year old Murfreesboro resident was being held in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center when on Feb. 7, 2022, he was admitted to the hospital because of a pre-existing illness.
Sorace had been arrested for reckless homicide following the alleged killing of his wife on January 11, 2025. He was in jail awaiting a General Sessions Court hearing.
Jail Administrator Kevin Henderson noted, "Sorace was in custody at the hospital for 13-days, and a deputy was there the entire time".
Chief Deputy Keith Lowery mentioned that Sorace's family was notified and requested palliative care.
After the former Nashville assistant police chief died, District Attorney General Jennings Jones announced that the case would be closed due to Sorace's death.
DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
