A Gulfport mother will spend the rest of her life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering her son and hiding his body in her home.

On Wednesday, Jerri Roby, 69, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2023 death of her son, John Gaither. Circuit Court Judge Randi P. Mueller accepted the plea and sentenced Roby to life in prison in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

The case began in late December 2023, when Gaither's brother contacted the Gulfport Police Department and reported that he had not heard from him for approximately a week. Police opened a missing person investigation.

Investigators spoke with Roby, who Gaither was living with at the time. Roby told officers that Gaither had left in an Uber for Louisiana to buy a vehicle. However, police checked his Uber account and found no activity during that period.

Gaither's stepmother, who lived out of state, later contacted police and reported receiving a letter allegedly written by Gaither in which he stated that he was traveling to the Philippines to meet a woman.

As investigators continued to look into Gaither's disappearance, they discovered that Roby had used several aliases and had a criminal record for murder in Florida dating back to 1995.

Due to the unusual circumstances and inconsistencies in Roby's statements, investigators returned to his home and obtained permission to search the property.

Inside a trash can, investigators found a receipt from Home Depot that showed Roby had purchased 15 bags of sand, two rolls of duct tape, straw and a garbage bag. The purchase was made about a week before Gaither was reported missing.

Investigators later determined that Roby had returned to the same Home Depot, where he purchased more plastic sheeting, dirt and duct tape.

In early January 2024, Gaither's stepmother and brother contacted police again, stating that they had separately received phone calls, text messages, and a letter that they believed were not sent by Gaither.

On January 18, 2024, the Gulfport Police Department obtained a search warrant for Roby's residence.

When officers removed Roby from the home, she swallowed a large amount of pills and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

During a search of the home, investigators found a false wall built in the front of the home. After knocking down the wall, they discovered a large wooden box inside the room.

Inside the box, police found Gaither's body covered in material similar to items Roby had purchased at Home Depot. The subsequent autopsy determined that Gaither died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

After being released from the hospital, Roby was questioned by investigators. According to Assistant District Attorney Matthew D. Burrell, who prosecuted the case, Roby admitted to forging letters sent to relatives posing as Gaither, sending text messages posing as Gaither, convincing her boyfriend to call relatives posing as Gaither, and taking Gaither's cell phone to Florida to connect to different cell towers.

However, Burrell stated that Roby told investigators that Gaither had shot himself, that he had fallen into the box and that she had then covered him with sand, dirt and straw that she bought at Home Depot.

During the plea hearing, Roby eventually admitted to shooting Gaither “in a fit” to “end his suffering” because he was suffering from depression. Judge Mueller rejected Roby's explanation, stating that she did not believe his version of events.

The judge pointed to Roby's preparations, including the purchase of materials, and his statements to police after Gaither's disappearance as evidence that the murder was planned.