MT. VERNON, IL — Jefferson County jurors on Monday found a 31-year-old Mt. Vernon man guilty of murdering his father after a few hours of deliberation in the 2020 Jefferson County case. Traviel Gibson was found guilty of first-degree murder for the May 13, 2020, shooting death of his father Sam Joseph Gibson, III.
According to Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun, the charges will receive enhanced sentencing due to the use of a firearm. Featherstun says the judge ordered a pre-sentencing investigation and set a November 2 status hearing on that report before Gibson is sentenced. Earlier in the case, the defense raised a question about Gibson’s mental fitness. An examination concluded he was mentally fit to stand trial for his father’s murder.
According to Mt. Vernon Police, on the afternoon of May 13, 2020, a distraught woman entered the police department lobby and reported Sam Gibson had been shot at a home in the 1800 block of Cherry in Mt Vernon. She also reported another man at the residence had attacked her and stolen her phone. Officers reported that as they arrived at the home they witnessed Gibson run into the home where they observed a deceased man on the front porch of the home.
In addition to the three counts of first-degree murder, Gibson was also found guilty of Class 2 felony robbery in the case.