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Zachary Thomas Gift, 28, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, two counts of strangulation, and theft by unlawful taking in connection with the March 19, 2023, death of his mother, Lois Gift, 62. Investigators say Gift strangled and smothered Lois in their home on Grant Road in Adamstown around 11 p.m. that night after an argument escalated. According to police, he stole her purse, car keys, and vehicle before fleeing, only to crash her Ford Escape hours later in Millcreek Township, Lebanon County.
Gift’s mother had been reported missing by friends and family who grew concerned after she missed social gatherings. Ephrata police discovered her body in the basement of the home on the morning of March 20, and an autopsy confirmed her cause of death as strangulation. Gift was found and taken to Tower Health – Reading Hospital after his crash. While in custody, he admitted to smothering and strangling his mother in her bed, then covering her body with a bedsheet before fleeing with her personal items.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Craig Stedman described Gift’s actions as a “betrayal” of his mother’s love, saying, “It’s clear that [your mother] gave her life to you, but you took her life in return.” Stedman also acknowledged the years of struggle and “turmoil” Lois endured while trying to help her son overcome addiction, working two jobs and going into debt for his recovery.
Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Baker called the crime “an absolutely horrendous act,” underscoring the “absolute limits of a mother’s love” that ultimately ended in tragedy. A longtime friend of Lois’s for over 30 years told Gift during her victim impact statement that she wanted the plea deal to allow him a chance to become “the man that your mother wanted you to be.”
Gift himself expressed remorse, calling his actions “tragic and horrible” and asked for forgiveness from his family. He said he hoped his son would avoid the path of “drugs and violence” that he had chosen. Judge Stedman warned that Gift’s expression of remorse would be tested over time, adding, “[Your mother] is gone. It’s a question of what you’re going to do.”
Family and friends described Lois Gift as a dedicated mother and grandmother who never gave up on her son, even as her last years became marked by fear and chaos. She once told friends that she worried Gift “couldn’t wait” until she was gone so he could inherit her home. In a statement to Gift, his uncle said, “You left us all heartbroken” and called his act “selfish” for taking away a woman who had always believed in his potential.
Gift’s sentence of 35 to 80 years reflects the gravity of his crime and, officials said, aims to protect the community from further violence.
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