Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

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The Sherry Murders: The "Dixie Mafia", a Corrupt Gulf Coast, and the Judge Who Couldn't Be Bought

8/11/2026 • 57 min

In September 1987, Vincent Sherry and his wife Margaret were found shot to death inside their Biloxi, Mississippi home. Vincent was a former Air Force colonel, a law professor, and a sitting circuit court judge. Margaret was a prominent local attorney and politician. Neither had any known enemies. The investigation would take years and lead directly into the heart of the Dixie Mafia, a loose network of contract killers, drug smugglers, and corrupt officials who had turned Biloxi's Gulf Coast into one of the most lawless stretches in the American South. What investigators eventually uncovered was that Vincent's own law partner, Peter Hallett, had pointed Dixie Mafia hitman Kirksey Nix toward the Sherrys to protect himself from a money dispute he had no clean way out of. Peter stood at the Sherry family's side at the funeral. He handed out copies of the eulogy to the press. He described Vincent and Margaret as family.Convictions were eventually secured for racketeering, fraud, conspiracy, and murder-for-hire. But no one was ever charged with pulling the trigger inside the Sherry home. The murders technically remain unsolved. We cover the full story, including the Dixie Mafia, the corruption that made Biloxi a criminal safe haven, the Sherry family, and the betrayal that set everything in motion. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Upgrade your everyday. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/moms. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com Sources: Sources: https://biloxi.ms.us/departments/mayor/mayors-of-biloxi/ https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/dixie-mafia-murders-article-1.347104 https://www.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/04/former_biloxi_mayor_pete_Halat.html https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article173225801.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/10/23/charge-in-judges-slaying/61d6e71d-79ab-45d4-9638-6228b780aeaf/ https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/copy3_of_a-byte-out-of-history http://www.picayuneitem.com/2009/10/mississippi-takes-dixie-mafia-inmate/ https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/29/us/biloxi-s-tale-of-murder-extortion-and-racy-photos.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/426843603/?article=738e1fb6-6677-438f-b8bd-d499c243712b&focus=0.5019371,0.09007911,0.65432274,0.50956196&xid=2378&_ga=2.152440121.1042031532.1579573623-1444157894.1576362222&_gac=1.191732952.1579330014.Cj0KCQiA04XxBRD5ARIsAGFygj-QvKZWcR4nrMOW3laSu_pML39tiZAhlj4D8-1LcgtM_8x7jNopef0aAtWFEALw_wcB https://www.newspapers.com/image/180627929/?terms=vincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/278254602/?terms=vincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/184099588/?terms=margaret%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/184077599/?terms=margaret%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/181139961/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry,https://www.newspapers.com/image/181140573 https://www.newspapers.com/image/278299403/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/278299613 https://www.newspapers.com/image/181137487/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/181138009 https://www.newspapers.com/image/181133386/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/181142452, https://www.newspapers.com/image/181143286/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/184070689/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry, https://www.newspapers.com/image/184071980 https://www.newspapers.com/image/181736248/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry, https://www.newspapers.com/image/181736384 https://www.newspapers.com/image/318805868/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/181737314/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/315976328/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/237859988/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://www.newspapers.com/image/278172011/?terms=margaret%2Bvincent%2Bsherry https://casetext.com/case/us-v-Halat?q=peter%20Halat&p=1&tab=keyword&jxs=&sort=relevance&type=case https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ https://casetext.com/case/us-v-sharpe-4?q=peter%20Halat&p=1&tab=keyword&jxs=&sort=relevance&type=case https://casetext.com/case/us-v-sharpe?q=peter%20Halat&p=1&tab=keyword&jxs=&sort=relevance&type=case https://www.sar.org/who-we-are https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/18/us/new-criminal-class-is-flourishing-in-sun-belt.html https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/Halat-v-united-states-opposition https://www.wlox.com/story/22304298/wlox-exclusive-former-biloxi-mayor-recalls-trial-talks-about-time-in-federal-prison/ https://www.tulsaworld.com/archive/murder-prison-scam-alleged/article_1c7fe873-85e4-5fcf-807e-b69dcb07557f.html https://www.redorbit.com/news/science/820230/biloxi_confidential_primetime_television_show_to_chronicle_sherry_murders_one/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/183757639/?terms=sheri%2Blara%2Bsharpe%2Bsentence https://www.newspapers.com/image/454246785/?terms=sheri%2Blara%2Bsharpe%2Bparole https://www.newspapers.com/image/278365125/?terms=sharpe%2Bnix%2Bgillich%2Bransom%2Bsentence https://www.newspapers.com/image/318870187/?terms=sharpe%2Bnix%2Bgillich%2Bransom%2Bsentence https://www.newspapers.com/image/237794827/?terms=john%2Belbert%2Bransom%2Bsentence https://www.newspapers.com/image/281120194/?terms=nix%2Bsharpe%2BHalat%2Bholcomb%2Bsentence https://www.newspapers.com/image/278322144/?terms=eric%2Bsherry https://apnews.com/bbe032464d8309feaa6bde15b45c6b7e https://apnews.com/0907bc70054a1780a25d64b1f7df2b05 https://apnews.com/fe0c9cf96d4820b11f0e6ac1d3e6d677 Learn more about your ad choices. 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