Andrew Conard convicted of Barbara Gibson’s murder
Andrew James Conard (left) was convicted of murdering Barbara Gibson (right) on a Mother’s Day weekend years ago; Amanda Sperry, center, is awaiting sentencing on March 13, 2023. (Carroll County Sheriff’s Office)
A Georgia man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the brutal murder of a beloved 83-year-old great-grandmother on Mother’s Day weekend in 2020, a judge ruled this week.
Barbara Gibson was born in her own home on Burwell-Mt. Zion Road in Carrollton, Georgia on May 9, 2020 – approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta. Her attackers parked in the carport, one of them got out and knocked on the door and when Gibson answered she was immediately shot multiple times in quick succession.
Andrew James Conard, 37, and Amanda Sperry, 31, left the scene after Conard fired the fatal shots, according to prosecutors for the Coweta Judicial Circuit District. The couple returned a short time later and freed the deceased woman of several valuables, including her jewellery, wallet and sewing machine.
“Gibson was loved dearly by the small community in which she lived, and where she has been an active member, she has always been a kind face, a loving neighbor and had a heart of gold,” the Caroll County Sheriff’s Office said time of her death. “Our hearts are heavy and we are praying for her family who tragically lost their mother over Mother’s Day weekend when they should have been celebrating, they are planning a funeral instead.”
The incident happened around 6:00 p.m. on the night in question, the prosecutor’s office said — just as Gibson was preparing to bring Mother’s Day gifts to friends and neighbors in the Burwell neighborhood.
“The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office conducted one of the most comprehensive investigations in Carroll County history, led by Investigator Nick Miller,” the Attorney’s Office said in a release. “Using novel and cutting-edge techniques, Sperry and Conard have been identified as the suspects in Ms. Gibson’s murder. Investigators found the murder weapon and several items of Gibson’s property at the defendants’ home.”
According to law enforcement, the defendants were both gamblers who used methamphetamines on a regular basis.
Investigators determined that in early May 2020, Sperry was caught stealing lottery tickets and cash from her employer. With no source of income, she and her partner devised a new plan “to fund their vices,” the prosecutor’s office said.
“Three days before the murder, the pair drove around the county targeting elderly people in rural areas,” the press release said. “Their motive was robbery and they were looking for citizens who might be alone, isolated and unable to fight back. The evidence at trial showed that they targeted Ms. Gibson for precisely this reason.”
Much of the money stolen from the Mother’s Day weekend robbery was spent on methamphetamine, scratch cards and video poker, police said.
After his arrest, Sperry confessed and struck a plea deal. She agreed to testify against Conard in exchange for a 60-year sentence, with the first 40 years to be spent in prison, the prosecutors’ office said.
On March 13, Conard was convicted by a Carroll County jury of counts of malicious murder, felony murder, residential burglary, armed robbery and aggravated assault. Later that same day, High Court Justice of the Coweta Judicial Circuit John Simpson sentenced the defendant to life in prison without possibility of parole, followed by two more life sentences plus an additional 20-year sentence.
“The world got much darker and the fear of knowing someone was capable of murdering an innocent and sweet godly woman was real,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post after the killer was convicted this week and had been convicted. “We pray that this will help bring some closure and healing to her family and community and may Andrew Conard see [her] precious face when he closes his eyes every night and never knows peace on this earth.”
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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/georgia-man-will-likely-die-in-prison-for-mothers-day-weekend-murder-of-great-grandmother-after-his-accomplice-testified-against-him/ Andrew Conard convicted of Barbara Gibson’s murder
