The Murder of Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
For this case, I watched an episode of Snapped. It’s season 27 episode 24.
A wealthy hedge fund manager is killed in his Manhattan apartment.
Background
Thomas Gilbert, Sr. was born in 1945. After high school, he attended Andover College and Princeton, and graduated from Princeton in 1966.
Thomas met his future wife, Shelley in the 1970’s. They got married in 1981, and eventually had two kids together.
Thomas worked on Wall Street for 40 years, but started his own hedge fund shortly before his death. He and Shelley were part of Manhattan’s elite, and were very wealthy.
Thomas Gilbert Jr., aka Tommy, and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
The 911 Call
On January 4, 2015, Shelley Gilbert called 911. She said that she had come home to find her husband had been shot. Shelley said she couldn’t find a pulse, and that he was probably dead.
The police arrived shortly after. Thomas was lying on the floor of his bedroom. The scene looked like a suicide. The gun, a .40 caliber Glock, was in Thomas’ hands, and he had a gunshot wound to his dead. However, it was apparent that it wasn’t a suicide, and it hadn’t been a random robbery either.
The Gilbert’s lived at Beekman Place apartments. The police knew that whoever had killed Thomas had to either have a key or be let in.
Shelley’s Story
The police were able to rule Shelley out pretty quickly. She was distraught about her husband’s death. Shelley told the police that the only person who could’ve killed Thomas was their son, Thomas Jr., or Tommy, as he was referred as.
Shelley said that Tommy had arrived unexpectedly to visit them, around 3pm. Tommy had told his mom that he wanted to speak to Thomas about business. Shelley was excited that Tommy seemed to be doing well, and was interested in working with his dad.
Tommy had asked Shelley to get him a sandwich and a Coke. Shelley agreed, and left the apartment. It wasn’t long after she got outside, that she had a gut feeling. Shelley turned around, and went back to the apartment.
Shelley said she thought she would hear Thomas and Tommy talking about business, but was met with a “deafening silence.” Shelley then found Thomas lying on the floor of their bedroom. Tommy was nowhere to be found.
The Paranoia
Shelley told the police that Tommy had been suffering with severe mental illness. He had been diagnosed with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and had been tested for schizophrenia. Tommy would often think that people were contaminated or radioactive. Shelley said things seemed to have been getting worse.
The NYPD 17th precinct began a manhunt for Tommy. They pinged his location on his cell phone, and looked through his and Thomas’ financial records, to see if Tommy had recently made any purchases.
On January 4, around 9:30pm, the police were able to get a ping off of Tommy’s cell phone. The location said he was at his expensive Chelsea apartment.
When they arrived, Tommy had been on his cell phone talking to his lawyer. He was taken down the precinct, but his lawyer ended the interview.
Dark Secrets
During the investigation, the police spoke to several of Tommy’s friends. They learned that Tommy had been at the center of another investigation involving his once close friend, Peter Smith.
Tommy and Peter became close, and often spent time together in Southampton. That was until Tommy became paranoid, and accused Peter of having feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Lizzie Fraser, a New York socialite.
Peter was attacked one day in the fall of 2013, when he was leaving his home. Peter alleged that it was Tommy, but didn’t press any charges. Peter also got a restraining order against Tommy.
A year later, a fire started at Peter’s home. The investigators said that it was arson. Several neighbors said that they saw a man in the nearby cemetery watching the house burn down. The police also found strips from a purple bedsheet and a gas can in that cemetery.
It was believed that Tommy started the fire, but there was never enough evidence to prove it was him.
A Premeditated Murder?
The police spoke to Shelley again. Shelley said that Tommy was able to hide his mental illness from people outside his family. He became more paranoid, and cut off all ties with his parents. He had even sent his dad an email saying that he didn’t want them to text, email, or talk to him.
Shelley told the police that Tommy didn’t understand what he had done when he killed Thomas.
The police had learned by confiscating Tommy’s computer that he had driven to Ohio to purchase the very gun that killed his dad. Tommy and the gun seller had been emailing. They spoke in detail about the payment and about how Tommy would travel to purchase the gun.
The media had also been speculating that Tommy had killed Thomas because he wasn’t getting his monthly $1,000. Thomas wasn't making money like he used to, since he had recently started his hedge fund. Tommy was being called a spoiled brat by the media.
Thomas Gilbert, Jr., was eventually charged with second degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of ammunition.
Tommy in court
The Insanity Defense
While Tommy was in jail, his condition seemed to worsen. Shelley said that Tommy didn't want to see her on his worst days when she tried to visit.
In August 2015, Tommy’s lawyer, Alex Sprio, along with Shelley, tried to take action. They said Tommy was incompetent to stand trial. They had him evaluated, and several of the psychiatrists agreed that he was incompetent to stand trial.
Shelley Gilbert and Alex Spiro
The prosecution said otherwise, and said that Tommy knew what he was doing when he killed Thomas. On November 4, 2015, Tommy was ruled fit to stand trial.
Tommy’s trial began in May 2019. By this point, the once handsome ‘playboy’ was unrecognizable. He was pale, skinny, and disheveled.
Tommy in 2019
Shelley testified about how sick Tommy was. Shelley said that she felt bad when she was speaking in front of Tommy, about how she and Thomas had felt about him and his mental illness. Shelley said that Tommy believed Thomas was controlling his mind.
The prosecution said that Tommy had planned to kill Thomas. They said a person who was that sick, wouldn’t drive to Ohio to purchase a gun, purchase ammo and a speed loader.
They said Tommy also knew what he was doing when he asked Shelley to buy him a sandwich and Coke. He knew that Shelley didn't keep Coke in the house, and used this to get her to leave. They said it was greed to made Tommy kill Thomas. Thomas had told his son that he would be cutting his allowance down from $1,000 to $300 per month.
On June 28, 2019, Tommy was found guilty of second degree murder, and second degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was sentenced to 30 years to life. Tommy will eligible for parole in 2044, at the age of 60.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I believe Tommy was mentally ill, but I also believe he had planned to kill his father. I’m not sure why, though. It could’ve been over the money that he thought he was owed, but it also could’ve been because he truly thought Thomas was controlling his mind.
My heart breaks for Shelley, and the rest of Thomas’ loved ones. Shelley was obviously a very loving wife and mother. Shelley believes that Tommy didn’t know what he was doing when he shot Thomas. I believe she will continue to fight for Tommy for as long as she can.
Sources
https://crimereads.com/thomas-gilbert-new-york/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/nyregion/thomas-gilbert-murder-sentence.html
https://www.easthamptonstar.com/police-courts/2020130/storm-signals-flew-murder
https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/why-thomas-gilbert-jr-ivy-league-dad-killer-murder-father
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/03/thomas-gilbert-jr-murder-father-hedge-fund
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomnamako/thomas-gilbert-killed-father-allowance-sentenced
