Knoxville man charged with murder in brutal death of his mother in Florida, sheriff says

What This Story Is About

  • Gibson Nash, 21, is facing first-degree murder charges in Florida for allegedly killing his mother, a Knoxville nurse who moved to Florida to seek mental health help for her son.

Why It Matters

  • The murder highlights a tragic escalation of domestic violence; despite prior arrests in Knoxville and knife-related threats, Chu Dufour had bonded her son out of jail just one week before her death.
  • Nash remains under sheriff’s office custody at a local hospital recovering from a Tylenol overdose and will be booked directly into the Polk County Jail once medically cleared.

For Context

  • Chu Dufour was a registered nurse who had just moved into her new Eagle Lake, Florida, home on July 21, working only a month at her new hospital before she was killed.

Catch Up

  • Law enforcement agencies in Knoxville were well-acquainted with Nash, having arrested him in April for domestic assault after he trapped his mother inside a local smoke shop.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WVLT) – A Knoxville man with a violent criminal history has been charged with first-degree murder in Florida after the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said he killed his mother at her new home last month.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said 21-year-old Gibson Nash is accused of the brutal July 21 killing of 56-year-old Margaret Chu Dufour. He also faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury.

Judd described the homicide as one of the most personally violent crimes his department has encountered.

“The way he murdered his mother was a mix of pure rage and extreme violence,” Judd said. “He has no respect for others and is a clear threat to society.”…

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