A Gulfport, Mississippi woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting she shot her adult son and concealed his body inside a hidden compartment in her own home for more than a year.
Jeri Roby, 69, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her 42-year-old son, John Gaither, and was sentenced Wednesday to life without the possibility of parole. Investigators say Roby fatally shot Gaither at their shared residence around December 10, 2023, then went to extreme lengths to convince his family he was still alive.
According to court documents, relatives in other states grew suspicious after losing contact with Gaither and eventually filed a missing persons report. Authorities say Roby fabricated an elaborate cover story, claiming her son had traveled out of state to buy a car, and later forging messages pretending to be Gaither himself, including one claiming he had left the country.
Investigators say a receipt from a local hardware store purchase — including sand, sealing tape, and building materials — helped point them toward the truth. When police returned with a search warrant in January 2024, they discovered a false wall built into the front of the house concealing a large wooden box. Gaither’s body was found inside, having died from a single gunshot wound.
Officials noted Roby had a previous homicide conviction from the 1990s involving a different victim, which investigators say factored into their decision to pursue the search warrant.
During her plea hearing, Roby reportedly told the court that the shooting happened in a “spur of the moment” decision, claiming her son had been struggling with depression at the time.
Prosecutors say Roby confessed to fabricating messages and phone activity to delay suspicion for more than a year before the truth was uncovered.