Jacqueline Gibons was born on April 30, 1962, and was adopted by Benjamin Gibons, a retired businessman, and his wife Sybil Gibons, a homemaker. The Gibons family lived in Skokie, Cook County, Illinois, in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Jacqueline, their only child, lived with them at their home on 9151 North Karlov Avenue. Though details about her early life are limited in public records, reports indicate that she struggled with emotional and behavioral issues during her adolescence and was, at one point, placed in a group home for girls.

While residing in the group home, Jacqueline met Barry Wilson, a man several years older who would later become her boyfriend and co-conspirator. Their relationship was marked by manipulation and financial dependency—Jacqueline often gave Wilson money and helped support him. According to prosecutors, Wilson became increasingly controlling and abusive, and when he allegedly burglarized the Gibons home, her parents considered filing criminal charges.

Faced with the prospect of legal trouble, Wilson devised a deadly plan: eliminate the couple before they could act. Jacqueline, then 20 years old, was drawn into the conspiracy. Whether motivated by fear, loyalty, or resentment toward her parents, she agreed to assist in the scheme that would end in murder.

On the evening of July 29, 1982, the carefully orchestrated plan to murder Benjamin and Sybil Gibons was set into motion at the family’s Skokie residence. According to court testimony and police reports, Jacqueline had arranged for Wilson’s associate, Robert “Bobby” St. Pierre, to lie in wait inside the home. Around 6 p.m., when 62-year-old Benjamin Gibons returned home, he was ambushed and bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer by St. Pierre.

A short time later, Sybil called the house to let Jacqueline know she was heading home from work. Jacqueline drove to pick up her mother at the train station and, according to prosecutors, knowingly brought her home to her death. Upon their return, Sybil Gibons, aged 60, was likewise beaten to death with the same weapon by St. Pierre.

After the killings, the trio — Jacqueline, Wilson, and St. Pierre — wrapped the bodies in materials found in the home and placed them in the trunk of a car. Wilson then drove westward, eventually dumping the bodies near Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the side of a road. The remains were discovered a week later, decomposed but identifiable.

The crime shocked the Skokie community and made national headlines. Within two weeks of the murders, all three suspects were in custody. Wilson was arrested in Arizona, while St. Pierre and Jacqueline were taken into custody by Skokie police. During interrogation, all three gave differing accounts of the crime. Jacqueline admitted to being aware of the plan and promised $300 to St. Pierre but claimed she believed “it was just a game.”

However, in October 1986, the Illinois Appellate Court overturned Jacqueline’s and Wilson’s convictions, ruling that the trial judge should have ordered separate trials due to conflicting defenses. Their retrials were ordered.

Rather than face another full trial — and the potential of a death sentence — Jacqueline pleaded guilty on June 26, 1989, to a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder. She was sentenced to 60 to 80 years in prison by Judge Richard Neville. As part of the plea, she agreed to testify against Wilson, who was alleged to have masterminded the killings. St. Pierre remained on death row following his conviction, while Wilson awaited retrial.