Anne Gates

Case record

Name

Anne Gates

Background

Raymond Gates, 65, was found dead in his home in Arabi, Louisiana. Anne Gates, 38, was his estranged wife.

Anne Gates had been living with her parents in Picayune, Mississippi, and she was described as a former nurse. She resided at her mother’s home in Mississippi since the break-up of her May-December marriage.

Raymond Gates’ death followed the earlier death of Anne Gates’ first husband, David Plue.

The offence

Raymond Gates was killed at his Arabi home. His skull was crushed by a dozen blows from something resembling a poker.

Anne Gates “discovered” the body and phoned for police. Deputies said she found the body when she went by to pick up her mail.

A set of fireplace tools was missing from the murder scene. Officers believed they found a motive in an insurance policy scheduled to pay Anne Gates $82,000 in the event of her aging husband’s death.

Forensics experts noted that the suspect was five full inches taller than the victim, and could have easily inflicted wounds which cracked his skull.

David Plue, Anne Gates’ first husband, had been found dead on a rural highway in Indiana in 1978. He was shot in the head, execution-style, and his body was discarded alongside a rural highway.

Investigation

Sheriff David Clevenger of Rush County, Indiana, recalled the death of David Plue and said no one suspected Anne Gates of playing a role in the crime at the time.

Sheriff David Clevenger later recalled that Plue was “the proverbial man without enemies,” and that Anne Gates, described as the 29-year-old woman, “told us a lot of lies.”

Nine years after David Plue’s death, a conversation with authorities in Indiana led to Anne Gates’ arrest on December 9, 1987, in relation to Raymond Gates’ killing.

Police in Louisiana found a cigarette—described as “Anne’s brand”—still smoldering in Raymond Gates’ living room when officers arrived, while they were told that the victim did not smoke.

Sheriff David Clevenger indicated that Indiana authorities had reopened their investigation of Anne Gates’ first husband’s murder.

Arrest

Anne Gates was arrested and booked with second-degree murder in the killing of Raymond Gates.

She was arrested on December 9, 1987.

Trial

Anne Gates pleaded no contest to manslaughter in 1989.

Sentencing

Anne Gates was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Appeals

No appeals were described in the provided text.

Outcome

An out-of-court settlement ended a four-year legal battle over Raymond Gates’ estate.

On May 27, 1992, Chalmette, Louisiana, a woman serving 10 years for her husband’s death inherited $25,000 of his money. The settlement with Anne Gates ended the legal battle over Raymond Gates’ estate.

Raymond Gates’ will left everything to Anne Gates and—if she died before him—to her mother, Ileane Gibson.

Anyone convicted of murder could be removed from the victim’s will in Louisiana. Anne Gates’ lawyers argued that this did not apply because a no contest plea did not admit guilt.

Aftermath

On May 27, 1992, Anne Gates inherited $25,000 from Raymond Gates’ estate.

Timeline

• 1978 — David Plue was found dead on a rural highway in Indiana; he was shot in the head, execution-style, and his body was discarded alongside the rural highway.
• October 7 (year not specified) — Raymond Gates was found dead in his Arabi home.
• December 9, 1987 — Anne Gates was arrested in relation to Raymond Gates’ killing.
• 1989 — Anne Gates pleaded no contest to manslaughter; she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
• December 15, 1987 — Murder charges were filed against Anne Gates.
• May 27, 1992 — Anne Gates inherited $25,000 from Raymond Gates’ estate after an out-of-court settlement.

Other details

Victim details

• Raymond Gates was 65 at the time of his death.
• David Plue was 29 at the time of his death.
• David Plue was an autoworker.

Insurance details

• Raymond Gates’ life insurance policy was scheduled to pay Anne Gates $82,000 in the event of his death.
• David Plue had a $100,000 life insurance policy, and his wife collected the money.

Missing items

People named

• Sheriff David Clevenger (Rush County, Indiana)
• Michael Newton (referenced in a listing: “An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers - Hunting Humans”)
• Ileane Gibson (Anne Gates’ mother)