True Crime Society - Sinister Sibling Rivalry

THE ANGELA GOSSER CASE

In May 2024, Angela Gosser (50) killed her husband Larry (73) and her sister Jennifer Wilson (57) in Kentucky. She also attempted to kill her brother Darryl (58). Darryl survived the shooting and turned the gun on Angela, killing her.

As some background, Larry and Angela had been married for a long time and their relationship seemed turbulent.

Angela filed for divorce from Larry in 2009. In December 2009, Larry’s attorney filed a motion for him to have emergency custody of the couple’s 14-year-old son Brendon, alleging that Angela had hosted a “drinking party” with minors present.

Their son said on another occasion, Angela kept slumping over the steering wheel while driving.

Larry said in an affidavit he believed Angela’s “mental status is deteriorating as it has in the past.”

“Angela suffers from clinically diagnosed mental disorders” and had been hospitalized for suicide thoughts and attempts, according to the motion and affidavit.

The documents did not go into detail about what medical conditions Angela was dealing with.

The motion said Angela was prescribed medication for her conditions, but had failed to use it properly at times.

In the middle of those divorce proceedings, the couple’s daughter Amanda sought a protection order against her mother.

Amanda, who was born in 1991 when Angela was 17 and Larry was 39, said that her mother had been threatening her amid the ongoing divorce and allegedly said that if her daughter “tells the things [her mom] has done [she] will pay,” according to a copy of the domestic violence petition filed by the then-teenager and obtained by Inside Edition Digital.

“She has sent texts before ‘calling me a b** and saying she would stomp my a,'” said the petition. Amanda said that as a result, she was afraid to be at home at night and feared her mother might attack her.

A judge granted temporary sole custody to Larry, but the couple later reconciled and dropped the divorce in 2010, court records show.

On May 3, 2024, Larry was discovered at 6.30pm “lying beside the road approximately 200 feet from his residence.” Police said he died from ‘what appeared to be a gunshot wound.’

Brendon, the couple’s son, was the one to find Larry.

An hour later, police were called to attend a shooting.

This info is from a press release from the Kentucky State Police:

On May 3, 2024 at approximately 7:00 P.M. CST, KSP Post 15 received a call from Pulaski County 911 requesting assistance locating a Ford F150 believed to be operated by Angela Gosser, age 56 of Russell Springs. Troopers responded to the Russell County to attempt to locate the vehicle. At approximately 7:24 P.M. CST, Russell County 911 contacted KSP Post 15 and requested investigative assistance with a deadly shooting incident that had occurred at a residence on South KY 619 in Russell County.

The preliminary investigation revealed that Angela Gosser had arrived at a residence on South KY 619 belonging to her brother, Darryl Wilson, age 58 of Jamestown. Once at the residence, Ms. Gosser armed herself with a firearm and forced entry into the residence. Upon Ms. Gosser entering the residence, there was an apparent exchange of gunfire between Ms. Gosser and Mr. Wilson with both individuals receiving gunshot wounds. Mr. Wilson was transported to the University of Kentucky Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Ms. Gosser injuries were fatal and she was pronounced deceased by the Russell County Coroner.

While at the scene on South KY 619, KSP received a request for a welfare check on Angela Gosser’s sister, Jennifer Wilson, age 57 of Russell Springs. Family members of Ms. Wilson reported they had been unable to make contact with her, causing them to become concerned for her safety. KSP Troopers and Russell County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Hammond Road in Russell County. Troopers and Deputies located a Toyota Camry partially off the roadway when they arrived on Hammond Road. Upon contact with the vehicle, a lone occupant, Jennifer Wilson, was located in the driver’s seat with apparent fatal gunshot wounds to the head. The preliminary investigation revealed that before the incident at her brother’s residence on South KY 619, Ms. Gosser encountered Ms. Wilson on Hammond Road. Ms. Gosser armed herself with a firearm and fired multiple rounds into the passenger area of the vehicle, fatally striking Ms. Wilson. Ms. Wilson was pronounced deceased by the Russell County Coroner.

The motive is not clear in this case. “Right now, that is open for investigation. We are still working with detectives and looking for leads. They are back there working to find the end of it,” Pulaski County Sheriff Bobby Jones told WKYT.

THE BETHANY ISRAEL MURDER

On May 23, 2024, police in Lakeville, Minnesota responded to a 911 call from a female at around 11pm. Judy Ball said that she thought her daughter Bethany Israel (30) had been killed inside the property.

Bethany had gone to the house in Lakeville, Minnesota earlier that night, at around 6pm, to have dinner with her brother, Jack Joseph Ball (23).

After Bethany did not contact her husband or family for the rest of that night, they became concerned. The mother of Jack and Bethany drove to Jack’s house. She said when she arrived ‘he just tore out of the house.’

Judy went into the home and saw a large amount of blood. That is when she called 911.

After police arrived, they went into the home and saw a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor and on the sink cabinets. They also saw a bloody saw, hatchet and many large, bloody knives. They found a knife on the living room floor near the staircase.

After continuing their search, officers found several body parts, believed to belong to Bethany.

Their mother said that she believed Jack may have fled to a cemetery in Rosemount because they had relatives buried there.

Police received a 911 call from a residence in that area. The caller said that they saw a male on their ring doorbell camera, placing what appeared to be a body part on their front step.

Police went to the residence and found that there was indeed a body part. Jack’s car was parked nearby and police searched the area. Jack was found near a shed in the backyard of a home. He was covered in blood on his head, shirt, arms, legs and pants. He also had a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat.

Police said that Jack was able to communicate with them and accurately told them the date, time and who the current president is.

Police kept searching the area and came across more of Bethany’s body parts.

It was discovered by authorities that Bethany was pregnant with her first child. The investigation uncovered journals and writings by Jack in which he started that he was angry about his sister’s pregnancy and that she was ‘no longer innocent’.

Autopsies were conducted on Bethany and her baby. Bethany’s death was ruled homicide and that she died as a result of complex homicidal violence.

“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific — words can’t describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation,” said Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena.

The Ball family has had its fair share of tragedy. Mark, Judy’s husband and father of the children, died in 2020 from cancer. It is thought that Mark and Judy lost a child previously, a son named Stephen.

Jack is facing two counts of second degree murder and is due in court again June 10.

THE MURDER OF AMBER GIBSON

Amber Gibson and her brother Connor had a rough start to life.

Their biological father Peter Gibson, sexually assaulted two young boys and assaulted and raped a woman.

These crimes were committed between 2001 and 2008/

They were placed in the foster care system. When they were five and three, they were placed to live with the Niven family in Lanarkshire in Scotland. Connor said at the time ‘We are safe now.”

Described as “the most giving, loving, supportive and admirable” young girl, Amber had shown hints of great promise. Although she had experienced immense suffering, she harboured an “amazing outlook” on life and loved art and singing, her loved ones said.

The Niven family were given permanent care of Connor and Amber a few years later. There were concerns raised about the behavior of the children. Craig Niven, the foster father, said he would leave the two of them alone together as they were ‘not a good mix’.

When Amber was 14, around 9 years after she arrived at the Niven home, the foster care arrangement broke down. She moved into a children’s care unit. I believe Connor was about 16 by this point and he remained with the Nivens until he turned 18.

When Amber was around 16 and she was under the care of social services, she was raped in June 2021. She was either asleep or unconscious at the time. The perpetrator was Jamie Starrs (20). Jamie was on bail at the time for another sex attack.

This ended up being understandably a tough time for Amber. Connor was said to be a constant in her life.

By this point, Connor was living in a hostel for homeless youth.

There is CCTV footage from November 2021, showing Connor and Amber walking on the street together. Amber would send a friend a selfie with the caption ‘my big bro.’

She would never be seen alive again.

Connor would end up returning to the hostel in a ‘dishevelled state, shortly before midnight’. He told a project worker that he and Amber had argued. There is CCTV of Connor from that night, showing him slumped against a metal barrier, looking exhausted.

CCTV later showed him heading towards wheelie bins outside the building carrying a plastic bin.

It was empty when he came back, and his blood-stained shorts and T-shirt were later found by police in the wheelie bins.

Amber’s body was found on November 28, 2021. It was said that her underwear was ‘forcibly ripped’ and that she had blunt force trauma to her head and body.

Amber suffered even more mistreatment after her death. Her body was found by a man called Stephen Corrigan (45). Instead of contacting police, Stephen touched Amber’s genitals.

A court would later hear that Corrigan’s DNA was “widespread” on Amber’s body, spanning 39 areas, including her buttocks, breasts and pubic area, with the forensic biologist estimating it came from “direct contact”.

Stephen Corrigan claimed he was “at a loss” as to why his DNA covered Amber’s body and was later convicted of attempting to defeat the ends of justice and breach of the peace. He has since been jailed for nine years.

Lord Mulholland said: “Any decent human being on coming across the naked body of a young girl who was unconscious or possibly dead would immediately call the emergency services. You on the other hand did not do so.”

The judge branded Corrigan’s conduct “despicable”.

After she was found, Connor wrote the following on social media.

“Amber, you will fly high for the rest of time. We will all miss you. Especially me. I love you ginger midget. GBFN (goodbye for now) X.”

One day after he made that post, Connor was arrested and charged with Amber’s murder.

Prosecutors allege that Connor compressed Amber’s neck with his hands and strangled her with the intention to rape her.

He also faced further charges of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of bloodstained clothes and calling the children’s home where his sister lived and pretending she was alive.

He also faces a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by telling police he had argued with his sister on the evening of November 26 before going to someone’s home.

Connor’s trial was held in 2023 and ran for 13 days.

This statement was made on Sep 4, 2023:

At the High Court in Livingston today, Lord Mulholland sentenced Connor Gibson to life in prison, with a minimum period of 22 years in custody, for the sexual assault and murder Amber Niven. Stephen Corrigan received a prison sentence of 9 years for sexual assault and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Lord Mulholland told Gibson:

“Connor Gibson, you have been convicted of the physical and sexual assault and murder of your younger sister Amber Niven, as she liked to be known. Like you she had not had the best start in life, being fostered and then residing in a children’s home. She also had to deal with having been raped. She would have looked to you, as her big brother, for support. She was looking forward to meeting up with you on the night she was murdered. She even posted a selfie of both of you on Snapchat. You walked with her to Cadzow Glen. There you beat her about the head, breaking her nose, removed her clothing and sexually assaulted her with intent to rape, and then manually strangled her to death. The last person she saw alive was you, her brother, strangling the life out of her after having beaten her up and tried to rape her. What you did was truly evil.

You then tried to cover your tracks. You lied to the staff of both children’s homes. You repeatedly lied to the police. You tried to dispose of your bloodstained clothing. You lied that you had fallen at the Hamilton Accies football stadium. All your lies were exposed by the CCTV and the forensic science, who spoke for your sister. The science told the world what you had done.

In sentencing you, I take into account your age, your difficult background, everything that has been said on your behalf, your background report, your lack of criminal record and, of course, the circumstances of your appalling crimes.

I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment.

The law requires me to impose a punishment part, which is the period of time you will serve before being eligible to apply for parole. I stress, apply for parole, as you will only ever be released if you are deemed to pose no risk to the public. The decision on whether to release you will be one for the parole board alone to take.

I will impose a punishment part of 22 years’ imprisonment.

I order that the sentence should run from 3 December 2021, the date you were first ordered into custody by the court for these matters.

I will apportion 3 months’ imprisonment of the punishment part for the bail aggravation.”

Following the guilty verdicts, Mr and Mrs Niven described Amber as the “most giving, caring, loving, supportive and admirable person”.

The couple said: “She had the most amazing outlook on life considering the suffering she had experienced.”

They added: “As a family, we all feel this could have been prevented. We now have one daughter buried in Larkhall Cemetery and another child in prison. We really miss Amber – life will never be the same.”