Mother, son indicted by grand jury
Mother, son indicted by grand jury
LAKE CITY, FL - A grand jury indicted a mother and son in the May murder of a Columbia County man Wednesday afternoon.
Mary Boswell, 47, and her 29-year-old son Larry Craig Whitworth were each indicted on June
25 on charges of first- degree murder and robbery in the death of Columbia County resident Jerry Gifford.
Mr. Gifford, 59, was found in a pond in the back of his property at 17364 North US Highway 441 on May 21. He was last seen alive by a friend on May 13.
Boswell and Whitworth had been living on Gifford’s property with him for about a month when Gifford disappeared. The two were spotted in Tennessee on May 22 driving Gifford’s stolen truck. After a short pursuit, Boswell was arrested but Whitworth remained at large. He turned
himself in to Tennessee law enforcement over the Memorial Day weekend.
"My detectives worked quickly and efficiently on this case," said Sheriff Bill Gootee. "We had little evidence to go on but the Detective Division worked every angle and follow up on every lead. That dedication resulted in this mother and son being brought to justice and they will now have to face the consequences of their actions."
