Prosecutors praise deputies after conviction in murder of Carroll County grandmother

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - Prosecutors say it was one of the most extensive murder investigations in Carroll County history. A jury, this month, convicted one person in the shooting death of 83-year-old grandmother, Barbara Gibson, in 2020. Another pleaded guilty of her role.

Prosecutors say there will never be closure for Gibson’s family or the Burwell community, she called home in Carroll County. But they say the convictions of Andrew James Conard, 40, and Amanda Sprerry, 32, are at least a small step in the healing process.

"There is always going to be an empty chair at family gatherings for the Gibson family," said Jep Bendinger, Chief Assistant District Attorney for Carroll County

Andrew James Conard  (Georgia Department of Corrections)

"I was bowled over by the amount of both familial support and community support that showed up every day for the trail," said Lara Todd, Senior Assistant District Attorney for Carroll County.

The jury convicted Conard of murder, home invasion, armed robbery, and aggravated battery. He will serve life in prison. Girlfriend Amanda Sperry, who testified against him, got 60 years, with 40 to serve.

Amanda Sperry (Carroll County Sheriff's Office)

Prosecutors say in 2020 the two meth addicts spent three days targeting elderly women to rob in Carroll County. They had chosen 83-year-old Barbara Gibson on the night before Mother’s Day as she prepared to deliver gift baskets to family and friends.

"The evidence was clear that they just didn’t target anybody who lived out in the country. They were literally Googling widows. Googling obituaries for people who lived on certain roads, trying to find people who were isolated, alone and who couldn’t fight back," Bendinger said. "Andrew Conard knocked on her storm door. As soon as she answered it, he fired 11 shots into her, including while she was laying on the ground helplessly."

Barbara Gibson  (Supplied)

The trial lasted six days. The prosecutors praised the diligence of law enforcement, who had worked around the clock.

Prosecutors say Conard and Sperry perhaps got $300 in the robbery of Gibson. They blame Conard as the catalyst.

"Cowardly and just a black hole that consumes anything that gets near him," Todd said.