Margaret Joyce Smith Sherry, a 58-year-old White female, and a prominent Biloxi city councilwoman with mayoral aspirations, was found brutally murdered alongside her husband, Circuit Court Judge Vincent Sherry, in their North Biloxi home. The couple was discovered on September 16, 1987, two days after they were killed in an execution-style shooting on September 14. Margaret had been shot four times in the head, while her husband was shot three times in the face.
The nature of the crime, with no signs of forced entry or robbery, immediately suggested a professional hit.
The initial investigation into the high-profile double homicide yielded few leads, leaving the case unsolved for years. The breakthrough came through the relentless efforts of the Sherrys' eldest daughter, Lynne Sposito, and a dedicated FBI agent. Their persistence uncovered a dark and complex conspiracy rooted in the criminal underworld of the Dixie Mafia. The investigation revealed that the murders were not a random act of violence but a carefully orchestrated assassination with connections reaching into the local political and legal community.
The motive for the slayings was traced back to a prison-run extortion scheme operated by Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., a leader of the Dixie Mafia. Nix was running a 'lonely hearts' scam, extorting money from gay men. The illicit funds were being funneled through a law firm where Vincent Sherry was a partner with Peter Halat, who would later become the mayor of Biloxi. When a significant amount of the money went missing, Nix wrongfully concluded that Vincent Sherry was responsible for the theft and ordered the hit on both him and his wife.
The intricate investigation eventually unraveled the conspiracy, leading to the arrests of those involved. Peter Halat, Vincent Sherry's law partner and a man who delivered a eulogy at the couple's funeral, was implicated in the plot. It was revealed that he had a vested interest in Margaret Sherry's death to eliminate a political rival in his own bid for mayor. Thomas Leslie Holcomb was identified as the hitman hired by the Dixie Mafia to carry out the murders. For their roles in the crime, Kirksey McCord Nix Jr. and Thomas Holcomb received life sentences. Peter Halat was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison. The case exposed a deep-seated corruption within Biloxi and brought to justice the individuals responsible for the deaths of Margaret and Vincent Sherry.
