Jerri Israel: Mississippi woman convicted of 1993 murder hid son's body behind false wall at home
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI: A 66-year-old woman, with a prior murder conviction, is now facing charges for the death of her son. Jerri Lynnhe concealed her 42-year-old son John Allen Gaither's body behind a false wall in their residence as per Law&Crime.
Isreal faces first-degree murder charges for placing her son in a wooden box and concealing it. Additional details about her son's death and her prior murder conviction have emerged during the investigation.
Investigators found dead son in their home
The Gulfport Police Department initiated an investigation following a report of a potential missing person at a residence in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue.
Detectives, upon probing further, identified several inconsistencies in Isreal's statements. According to statements from the police press release, "Throughout the course of the investigation, Isreal became increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times."
Subsequently, it was revealed that Isreal had a prior conviction for a 1993 murder in Palm Beach, where she killed a woman and transported the body in her truck.
Given the suspicious information, investigators obtained a search warrant for Isreal's residence. On Thursday, during the execution of the warrant, they discovered the body of her son, Gaither, encased in a wooden box hidden behind a false wall in the home.
Notably, the cause of death and the motive behind the killing have not been disclosed. Isreal was taken into custody and is currently held without bond at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center.
Jerri Isreal fatally shot 44-year-old in 1993
Formerly known as Jerri Gaither, Isreal served a 17-year sentence following her second-degree murder conviction in Florida.
In July 1993, she fatally shot 44-year-old Christina P Racey and drove around with the body in the trunk before disposing of it in Indian River County, Florida.
Initially attempting to blame her boyfriend for Racey's murder, Isreal asserted he had killed Racey over drugs and instructed her to dispose of the body.
Although her boyfriend was initially arrested for murder, the charges were later dropped. Isreal was subsequently indicted by a grand jury for murder, and she fled town after posting a $100,000 bail.
Investigators revealed her modus operandi at the time, noting that she targeted affluent men for their money, stealing valuable possessions before disappearing and using the funds to evade authorities.
On the run for almost two years, Isreal was apprehended when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper pulled her vehicle over near Orlando. Authorities discovered her walking along a remote road on July 13, 1995, holding a gun and threatening suicide.
She was arrested and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, subsequently being released from prison in 2003. In 2016, Isreal pleaded guilty to attempted trafficking of illegal drugs and received an 18-month prison sentence.
