Mississippi mother sentenced to life for son's murder

A Mississippi woman has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to murdering her adult son and concealing his body behind a false wall in her home for weeks while impersonating him. Jerri Roby, 69, entered her plea and was sentenced on July 23, 2026, for the first-degree murder of her 42-year-old son, John Allen Gaither, in late 2023.

The investigation began in December 2023 when Gaither's brother reported him missing to Gulfport police, stating he had not heard from him in over a week. Gaither lived with his mother, Roby, who told authorities her son had taken an Uber to Louisiana to purchase a car. Police later determined there was no such Uber activity on his account.

Family members grew more suspicious about a month later when they received a phone call and text messages from Gaither's phone number that they believed were not from him. Authorities also received a letter, purportedly from Gaither, claiming he had traveled to the Philippines to meet a woman. Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Burrell stated Roby later admitted to forging the letter and sending the deceptive texts in an effort to mislead the investigation.