TUPELO — A Mississippi man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to killing his own mother on Mother’s Day 2017.
Antonio Gladney, 37, of Shannon, appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded guilty to murder, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.
Investigators said Gladney was estranged from his mother, Molly Gladney, 66, when he used flowers and a Mother’s Day card to gain entry to her house in Shannon.
Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said Molly Gladney was killed with garden tools and other items. Antonio Gladney fled but returned that evening, spoke with officers and was arrested the next day.
During his initial appearance in Lee County Justice Court four days after the killing, Gladney said he was ready to “man up” and admitted he killed his mother in open court.
“I wasn’t in my right mind at the time. I was under the influence of something,” Gladney said. “I have never been emotional, but when I came down from what I was on, I was hurt. I have finally accepted what I did. I did something to hurt my family and to break my family up.”
Gladney on Tuesday also pleaded guilty to an aggravated assault charge and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The charge is from a June 29 attack on three detention officers at the Lee County Jail. Investigators said he had a homemade knife and threatened to stab officers, then lunged and cut one of them. As other officers rushed in to subdue Gladney, he kicked and headbutted them.
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