A mother has been arrested for murdering her son on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
66-year-old Jerri Lynn Isreal was taken into custody on Saturday after officers determined she had killed her son, 42-year-old John Allen Gaither, and hidden his body behind a false wall.
On Thursday at approximately 10:00 a.m., crime scene technicians searched Isreal’s home in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue. At that time, Isreal had been transported to a local area hospital for medical treatment. During the search of the residence, a wooden box containing Gaither’s dead body was located behind a false wall.
The case began on December 22, 2023, when officers of the Gulfport Police Department responded to Isreal’s home regarding a welfare concern regarding a possible missing person.
Five days later, detectives conducted several follow-ups and began noticing discrepancies in statements provided by Isreal. Throughout the investigation, Isreal is reported to have become increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times.
It was later discovered that Isreal had been arrested and convicted for shooting Christina Bracey to death 1993. She is accused of placing the victim’s body in the trunk of her car and dumping it at a site in Indian River County, Fla.
Isreal initially blamed her boyfriend at the time for the murder and he was arrested, but charges against him were later charged. After posting bail, the subject is reported to have evaded law enforcement for nearly two years by using wealthy men and stealing their money.
After being pulled over by a Florida state trooper, Isreal was later sentenced for second-degree murder and was released from prison in 2003. She spent an additional 16 months in prison for trafficking drugs following a 2016 case.
With this additional information, police obtained a search warrant for the residence. Investigators were then able to conclude that the 66-year-old had committed the crime.
Isreal is charged with one count of first-degree murder. She is being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center to be held in lieu of her bond.
