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Mother's Day - a day dedicated to honouring and appreciating your mum.

However, for Molly J. Gladney, the day ended in a heart-wrenching catastrophe when she was assaulted and left to bleed out on her own driveway by her son.

Molly, aged 66, and her son Antonio Gladney, had a tumultuous relationship and were estranged. Gladney was a habitual offender and had spent periods in and out of prison.

While on parole, after years of no contact with his mother, the man from Mississippi decided to visit her on Mother's Day. What could have been a moment of reconciliation turned into a real-life nightmare.

On May 14, Mother's Day in 2017, the son arrived at his mother's home in Shannon, Mississippi, bearing flowers and a card - an apparently heartfelt gesture.

Hesitant but willing to see her son, Molly allowed him into her home, unaware that it would be the last time she'd ever open her front door.

Reports indicate that a dispute erupted between the two, resulting in Antonio striking his mother on the head with a large gardening tool. But he didn't stop at one hit.

He continued to assault her, punching her with his fists, before dragging her beaten body to the carport on their driveway. It was here that he abandoned her to die, and she was discovered covered in bruises on her face, head and even her hands.

Police were called to the scene following an alarm alert and discovered her lifeless body outside her residence. Antonio later returned to the crime scene that same night and was apprehended the following morning, confessing to the crime four days afterwards.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi posted a report on Facebook, outlining the brutal attack. It partly read: "Investigators found a Black female subject lying in the carport area, deceased from an apparent homicide.

"The crime scene revealed some type of struggle had taken place inside and outside the home that resulted in the death of the victim. The victim suffered multiple traumatic injuries to her head and her face at the hands of the suspect.

"It is believed that the investigation will reveal multiple objects were used to inflict the injuries on the victim."

During his initial court appearance, he confessed to murdering his mother in open court. Gladney stated it was time for him to "man up" and attempted to articulate his emotional condition.

He said: "I wasn't in my right mind at the time. I was under the influence of something. I have never been emotional, but when I came down from what I was on, I was hurt.

"I have finally accepted what I did. I did something to hurt my family and to break my family up," as reported by The Dispatch.

Whilst awaiting trial in jail, Antonio brandished a prison-made knife at an officer. Although no one was harmed, he was charged with aggravated assault on a corrections officer.

This was another attack to which he pleaded guilty, and as a result of the combined assaults, he was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years.