Gail's body was found naked in the bathtub, her head submerged in the water, her legs dangling out. The incident was initially ruled a suicide, but the shallow water level in the bathtub revealed a dark secret.
On Sunday evening, May 24, 1992, Gail Mosby, a 39-year-old nurse, was found dead in her home in Jackson, Mississippi. Neighbors found Gail naked in the bathtub, her head submerged in water, her legs dangling out.
Gail lives with her two sons, aged 7 and 10, after divorcing Richard Mosby in 1986. The couple had been together for five years and had split amicably. Gail had sole custody of the children, while Richard would take them home on weekends.
A diary kept in the house revealed that Gail was struggling with post-breakup depression. In the early 90s in Mississippi, being in a same-sex relationship was socially unacceptable.
Although the evidence pointed to Gail's likely suicide, police at the scene were skeptical, as the water in the bathtub was shallow and it was unlikely she would have drowned. A broken framed photo also struck them as inappropriate, but no other signs of foul play were found.
The coroner observed a small scratch on Gail's nose but officially ruled it a suicide.
Conflict between two wives
Gail's family disputed the inquest's findings, saying Gail had an increasingly strained relationship with Richard and his new wife, Deborah, in the four years before her death.
Deborah had been married once and had two children, one of whom died in infancy, before remarrying Richard in 1988. The couple had one daughter together.
Gail's family told police that Deborah became angry at any mention of Richard's previous marriage and was very hostile towards Gail. Gail's two sons said that their father and stepmother always put their daughter first, and that Deborah was the one who started the dispute over child support and custody between their parents.
While vengeance may have been the motive, there was no evidence to prove Gail was murdered, leaving investigators stumped.
Exposing the plan to hire a hitman
Four months after Gail’s death, Deborah’s sister, Vickie Mordecai, unexpectedly contacted the FBI. She said she and her husband were being targeted for assassination because of their involvement in a marijuana growing business. Vickie offered to provide information about Gail’s case in exchange for protection from the FBI.
According to testimony, Deborah sought out a hitman named Billy Ray Ford to kill Gail. “Deborah said, ‘I need someone to take care of Gail,’” Vickie said. On the day of the murder, Billy picked up Richard and drove to Gail’s house.
There was no sign of forced entry at the scene, as Gail thought she was opening the door for Richard alone. Vickie testified that Billy attacked Gail, which was when the picture frame broke. Gail's mouth was gagged with a rag soaked in anesthetic, and she was then drowned in the bathtub. They folded her clothes and placed them on the toilet lid, creating a fake scene.
When investigating the story, investigators discovered that Billy had been convicted of attempted murder but the conviction was overturned on appeal. The tumultuous relationship between Deborah and Gail reinforced Vickie's story. The police decided to open an official investigation into Gail's death.
Police asked Vickie to wear a recording device while speaking with Richard and his wife. Deborah admitted to knowing Billy but denied hiring him to kill Gail. She said she hired Billy to come to Gail’s house to threaten or beat her with the intention of making her leave. This evidence established that Billy and Richard were in the house when Gail died.
Police then obtained a warrant to search Deborah's phone records. Call logs showed that Deborah and Billy had spoken several times in the months before Gail's death.
Richard, Deborah and Billy were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Efforts to change suicide verdict
As news of the incident spread, Deborah's ex-husband contacted the police to report that they had a child who had drowned, and that Deborah had tried to blame her firstborn for the death. Investigators were struck by the similarity: both bathtub deaths involved the same woman.
In building their case, the prosecution faced a major hurdle when the coroner refused to overturn the ruling that Gail's death was a suicide.
Because Gail was buried without an autopsy, authorities exhumed her body in hopes of proving the presence of chloroform in her body, but the effort was unsuccessful due to the advanced state of decomposition.
When he attended the case, forensic pathologist Michael Balen concluded that Gail's death was a homicide based on the scratches on her nose, the bruises on her ankles, the small amount of blood in the bath water, and the shallow water level in the tub. However, this did not change the coroner's mind.
The trial of the three defendants began on October 10, 1994. Through his attorney, Billy announced that he would testify against Richard and Deborah. He claimed that the mastermind behind Gail's murder was Deborah, who had hired him for $5,000. Richard had done almost nothing but follow Deborah's instructions.
In May 1995, Richard pleaded guilty to murder.
In December 1995, at Deborah's trial, the prosecutor pointed out that if Gail were not alive, Deborah would benefit financially, not having to pay child support and receiving welfare benefits for the two boys. Another theory about Deborah's motive was hatred for Gail.
Deborah was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Billy and Richard were released from prison in 2021. Deborah was released after serving 26 years.
After the trial, the coroner changed the official verdict to murder.
