Naman Shrestha
When Roxie Durrah married Gigada Pearson Sr., she believed it to be the start of something beautiful and fulfilling. But when he showed his true colors and began manipulating her almost daily, she realized her life had become a nightmare. The episode titled ‘Thirty Years of Hell’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here’ pieces together the years of abuse and domestic violence of Roxie at the hands of Gigada. As she finally mustered the courage to leave him, her husband made her regret her decision by killing her sister, Erica Lankford, and her husband, Steven Lankford.
Gigada Pearson Sr. Killed Roxie’s Sister and Brother-in-Law to Get Back at Her
On June 23, 1983, Gigada Pearson Sr. tied the knot with 16-year-old Roxie Pearson Durrah, who had no idea that the next three decades of her life would be filled with abuse of all kinds. In the first year of their marriage itself, Gigada reportedly began abusing his teen wife. Over the following 30 years, he physically, verbally, sexually, mentally, and emotionally abused Roxie, making her life a living hell in South Alabama. On May 27, 2013, when her husband inflicted another night of sexual abuse on her, she decided to leave the house and escape the decades-long pattern of abuse. In order to hide from Gigada, Roxie went to live with one of her sisters, who lived out of state. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to find his wife.
A few days later, on June 5, she also requested an order of protection from her abusive husband, claiming that he forced her to participate in sexual acts and threatened to kill her. The order of protection was reportedly granted on the same day and scheduled to last until at least July 16. The order of protection possibly enraged him further. On the fateful day of June 21, 2013, Gigada headed to the house of another one of Roxie’s sisters, Erica Lankford, at 6797 Kings Branch Drive South in Mobile, Alabama, where she lived with her husband, Steven Lankford. In a fit of rage, Gigada stabbed the couple multiple times and shot them to death before setting their residence ablaze at two points of ignition, seemingly to get rid of any evidence connected to him.
However, his fingerprints were still found on a bottle of light fluid in the burned house. Following the leads they found at the crime scene and from interviews with loved ones, they were led to Gigada Pearson. After confiscating a number of suspicious items from his home at 79 Picardy Street in Mobile, the 52-year-old killer was arrested on June 24 and charged with two counts of murder, first-degree arson, and aggravated stalking in connection with the murder of 43-year-old Erica and 57-year-old Stephen Lankford. According to reports, Gigada was fairly cooperative with the authorities and denied any involvement in the murder and subsequent fire. Due to all the evidence against him, he was eventually indicted by a grand jury in August 2013 and held behind bars without bond.
Gigada Pearson Sr. is Currently Incarcerated at a Prison
The following year, in August 2014, Gigada Pearson Sr. pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and decided to take his chances at court. Nearly a couple of years later, in May 2016, his trial finally commenced. Over the following week or so, the prosecution presented all the evidence and witnesses in front of the jury while the defense argued that the defendant had nothing to do with it. On May 26, 2016, the jury deliberated and returned with the final verdict. Gigada was convicted of capital murder and aggravated stalking in the brutal killing of Erica and Steven Lankford. Subsequently, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As of today, Gigada Pearson Sr. is seemingly serving his life imprisonment sentence at a prison facility.
Read More: Steven Crittenden: Where is William and Katherine Chiapella’s Killer Now?
