Gulfport mother convicted and sentenced for killing her son

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- A Gulfport woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering her son.

Sixty-nine-year-old Jerri Roby pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2023 death of her 42-year-old son John Gaither.

Investigators say the case began as a missing person investigation after family members reported they hadn’t heard from Gaither for about a week.

According to prosecutors, Roby repeatedly misled investigators and family members by creating fake letters, text messages, and phone calls to make it appear Gaither was still alive and had left the state.

Police later discovered Gaither’s body hidden inside Roby’s Gulfport home. An autopsy determined he died from a gunshot wound.

During Wednesday’s plea hearing, Roby admitted she shot her son, which led to a life sentence being handed down by the judge.