Mother Pleads Guilty to Killing Son | Birmingham News

Birmingham AL News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 23, 2026 · 1m

A Mississippi woman, Jerri Roby, 69, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder for shooting her son, John Allen Gaither, 42, in the back of the head — claiming it was to end his suffering from depression. She hid his body behind a false wall, then faked his life by using his phone to send texts and make calls, delaying discovery until family filed a missing persons report. Police found his remains during a January raid, after which Roby ingested pills and was hospitalized. Her story shifted during interrogation — claiming he died by suicide and she only…