By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-24 08:50:06 | Updated at 2026-07-24 10:25:53
3 hours ago
A Mississippi mother admitted to killing her son and hiding his body behind a fake wall for weeks while pretending to be him.
Jerri Roby, 69, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison after having pleaded guilty to first degree murder in the 2023 killing of her son, 42-year-old John Allen Gaither.
Police began looking into Gaither in December 2023 when his brother reported to Gulfport police that he had not heard from him for a week, according to WLOX.
Roby, who lived with Gaither, told law enforcement that he had taken an Uber to Louisiana to purchase a car, but his ride share app did not show any activity.
Gaither's stepmother and brother reached out to police again about a month later, claiming they had received a call and text messages from his number.
However, they did not think that it was actually Gaither who sent them, according to the outlet.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for Roby's home on January 18, 2024, and found a fake wall in the front part of her Gulfport residence.
A large box was found behind the wall, which contained Gaither's body. Authorities said he died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Jerri Roby, 69, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for killing her 42-year-old son, John Allen Gaither
Gaither's body was found in January 2024 behind a fake wall in the front part of Roby's Gulfport home after police obtained a search warrant
During the proceedings, Roby told the courtroom that she had shot Gaither in the 'spur of the moment.'
She also claimed to have put her son 'out of his misery' due to his depression.
Investigators had previously found that Roby had a prior murder conviction in Florida in 1995.
She also had used several aliases before, the outlet reported.
At that time, police received permission to search the property and found a receipt from the Gulfport Home Depot detailing an extensive list of purchases.
Roughly one week before the missing person's report for Gaither was filed, Roby had bought 15 bags of sand, two rolls of patch and seal tape, straw, and a dumpster bag.
Investigators also learned that Roby had also bought additional plastic sheets, soil and tape during an earlier trip.
Roby told the courtroom that she had shot Gaither in the 'spur of the moment' to put him 'out of his misery' because of his depression
Investigators previously looked through Roby's home and found she had purchased 15 bags of sand, two rolls of patch and seal tape, straw, and a dumpster bag about one week before the missing person's report for Gaither was filed
Gaither's stepmother, who lived in California, had reached out to law enforcement police and told them she received a letter she thought to be from Gaither.
In the letter, he supposedly said that he had traveled to the Philippines to meet a woman.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Burrell said that Roby had admitted to forging the letters that had been sent to Gaither's family members.
Burrell also said Roby acknowledged that she had sent text messages pretending that she was Gaither.
She had also convinced her boyfriend to call family members while imitating Gaither, the outlet reported.
Roby was interviewed by authorities after being released from the hospital. She had swallowed pharmaceutical pills while being removed from her home and was taken in.
Crosby Parker, the District Attorney for Hancock, Harrison, and Stone counties, said he hoped Roby's guilty plea and sentence provided a 'measure of justice, accountability, and closure for the victim's loved ones and all those affected by this heartless crime.'
'Despite the extraordinary efforts this defendant made to distance herself from the murder and mislead investigators, they remained steadfast in their commitment and ultimately brought her to justice,' Parker said.
