Son Charged With Mother's Murder After U.S. 27 Crashes: Polk County Sheriff

EAGLE LAKE, FL — A 21-year-old man has been charged in the killing of his mother, an Eagle Lake woman found dead July 21 after Polk County sheriff’s deputies began investigating a series of crashes on U.S. 27.

Gibson Nash was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 56-year-old Margaret Chu Dufour and with two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies first encountered the case while responding to a hit-and-run crash at U.S. 27 and Holly Hill Grove Road around 7 a.m. on July 21.

As Nash fled the scene in a blue BMW SUV, he hit another vehicle and crossed into the southbound lanes of U.S. 27, where his SUV became disabled after hitting a third vehicle that was towing a trailer. A fourth vehicle then collided with that trailer.

Nash was injured and taken to a local hospital, where he was sedated and intubated. Nine other people were involved in the crashes, and three were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies determined the BMW was registered to Chu Dufour and went to her Wilder Way home in Eagle Lake to try to contact her.

After getting no response, deputies spoke with neighbors. One neighbor reported hearing two loud noises described as “thuds” at about 4:30 a.m., the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies then walked around the home and saw broken glass from a plate at the rear sliding patio door and a shovel at the side of the house.

The sheriff’s office said deputies entered because of the suspicious circumstances and found Chu Dufour dead in a front room with blunt force facial trauma. Homicide detectives then began a death investigation that led to her son’s arrest.

“Gibson Nash needs to remain locked away from the public forever. The way he murdered his mother was a mix of pure rage and extreme violence. After killing her, he caused two vehicle crashes on a busy road. He has no respect for others and is a clear threat to society,” Sheriff Grady Judd said.

According to the sheriff’s office, family members told investigators Nash had a history of violence and mental illness, including reported schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and prior domestic violence arrests in Tennessee.

Investigators also documented bruising on Nash’s knuckles and feet at the hospital. The sheriff’s office reported blood from his boots was later determined to match the victim.
Nash was extubated and removed from sedation on Sunday after his liver showed signs of improvement.

He was then arrested and remains under sheriff’s office supervision and custody at the hospital until he can be released and booked into the Polk County Jail.

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