Sheriff Questions Whether Yard Cross Drew Intruder Who Killed 81-Year-Old Mississippi Baptist
Bobby McGill, a longtime member of Keownville Baptist Church, was shot in his home; the sheriff says burglary is the likely motive but the "Jesus is Lord" sign raises questions.
NEW ALBANY, Miss. —
An 81-year-old Mississippi man known for sharing his faith was shot and killed during a break-in at his Union County home early Oct. 15, and the county sheriff says he wonders whether the cross and “Jesus is Lord” sign in the couple's yard played a part, The Christian Post reported.
Authorities say Eric Basco entered the home of Bobby McGill and his wife, Peggy, around 4 a.m. while they slept. McGill fought the intruder while his wife escaped and called 911. Investigators say McGill tried to reach a pistol kept in a chest at the foot of the bed, but Basco got to it first and shot him several times, then shot himself in a bathroom. Early reports said Basco was hospitalized; WTVA later reported, citing Union County Coroner Pam Boman, that he died over the weekend at a hospital in Tupelo.
Union County Sheriff Jimmy Edwards said burglary appears to be the likely motive, but the religious symbols leave him with questions. “Did that help lure him to that house? I don't know,” Edwards said. “I'm not saying it did.” He added, “I don't know, we'll probably never know.”
Investigators obtained video recorded the evening before, about a mile and a half from the McGill home, that reportedly shows Basco throwing his hands in the air and screaming what sounds like “God is dead.” The sheriff said Basco had no criminal history beyond minor traffic violations and may have had “something mentally wrong with him or something that altered his thinking.”
McGill was a retired truck driver and longtime member of Keownville Baptist Church, and he and Peggy had been married 42 years. A statement from the church on his obituary page said he lived by the two great commandments Jesus gave in Matthew 22. His granddaughter wrote on Facebook that he “made sure you couldn't leave a conversation with him without hearing about Jesus” and that “His faith became sight this morning.”
A memorial service for McGill was scheduled for Friday, according to The Christian Post.
This report is based on The Christian Post and WTVA via WECT. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the details.
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