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Gulfport Mother Sentenced to Life After Admitting to Killing Son, Hiding His Body Behind a False Wall
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Gulfport Mother Sentenced to Life After Admitting to Killing Son, Hiding His Body Behind a False Wall
A Harrison County woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting she murdered her adult son, concealed his body inside her home, and spent weeks convincing relatives he was still alive.
Seventy-year-old Jerri Roby pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder in the death of her 42-year-old son, John Allen Gaither. A judge sentenced her to life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
The case began in late December 2023 when Gaither’s brother contacted Gulfport Police after becoming concerned that no one had heard from him for about a week. Roby, who lived with her son, told investigators he had taken an Uber to Louisiana to purchase a vehicle. Detectives later determined there was no Uber activity to support that claim.
As the investigation continued, officers obtained a search warrant for Roby’s home on January 18, 2024.
Inside, investigators discovered what prosecutors described as a carefully constructed false wall. Hidden behind it was a large wooden container holding Gaither’s body. Investigators said materials used to build the concealment matched supplies that had been purchased from Home Depot. An autopsy later determined Gaither had died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Authorities say the deception did not end there.
According to investigators, Roby admitted she forged letters that appeared to come from her son, sent text messages pretending to be him, persuaded her boyfriend to impersonate Gaither during phone calls with family members, and even carried Gaither’s cell phone to Florida so calls would register on cell towers there, making it appear he had left Mississippi.
When officers took Roby into custody following the search of her home, she reportedly swallowed pharmaceutical pills and was transported to a hospital before later being interviewed by investigators.
The case drew widespread attention across the Gulf Coast because of the elaborate efforts investigators say were used to conceal the killing and mislead family members searching for answers.
With Wednesday’s guilty plea and life sentence, the criminal case has now reached its conclusion, bringing an end to one of the region’s most disturbing homicide investigations in recent years.
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