Princeton grad who killed his father after his allowance was cut gets 30 years to life

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Princeton grad who killed his father after his allowance was cut gets 30 years to life
By Brian Vitagliano, CNN

Updated 7:54 PM ET, Fri September 27, 2019

(CNN) -- Thomas Gilbert Jr., who was convicted of killing his father after the older man cut back his weekly allowance, was sentenced Friday to 30 years to life in prison. ... Thomas Gilbert Sr., a founding managing partner of the hedge fund Wainscott Capital, was found dead in his apartment in January 2015 with a gunshot wound to the head.

Gilbert's attorneys did not dispute that he killed his father but said he was not guilty by reason of insanity. Jurors in June dismissed the insanity defense and convicted him of second-degree murder. They also found him guilty on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. He was found not guilty of criminal possession of forgery devices.

Shelley Gilbert, the victim's wife, gave a victim impact statement Friday where she said the family wanted Gilbert Jr. "to be given as light a sentence as possible." ... "As I've said many times in court, we've been trying to get Tommy into a hospital for 15 years," Shelley Gilbert said. "He's too sick to be able to judge. He needs to be in a hospital, had he been so my husband would still be alive." ... She told the court she definitely plans to appeal the sentencing.

Gilbert Jr., 35, played football at Princeton and graduated with a degree in economics. At the time of the shooting, he was 30 and unemployed, receiving up to $1,000 a week from his parents. ... Hours before Thomas Sr. was killed, he cut his son's weekly allowance to $300, prosecutors said.
....

[doc03]

1. He would be a good Republican candidate for

President

[Lochloosa]

3. Mental illness is not funny.

[doc03]

4. We have a president now that by all

accounts is mentally ill
He wasn't determined to be mentally ill by the court.

[H2O Man]

12. Trump is a sociopath.

That is distinct from a major mental illness.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. My thought too. Thanks. NT

[marble falls]

6. Thanks for being the adult in the room.

[JI7]

8. i doubt this guy is mentally ill. more likely a spoiled rich asshole

[Lochloosa]

9. I disagree.

Shelley Gilbert, the victim's wife, gave a victim impact statement Friday where she said the family wanted Gilbert Jr. "to be given as light a sentence as possible." ... "As I've said many times in court, we've been trying to get Tommy into a hospital for 15 years," Shelley Gilbert said. "He's too sick to be able to judge. He needs to be in a hospital, had he been so my husband would still be alive." ... She told the court she definitely plans to appeal the sentencing.

[JI7]

10. that just looks like she is trying to get her son off easy

[LisaL]

11. He might have mental health issues but jury didn't believe him to be legally insane.

And neither do I. Seems like he knew exactly what he was doing.

[yardwork]

13. It's very, very difficult to involuntarily commit somebody.

I haven't followed this closely so I'm not speaking about this particular case. However, it is very difficult to get an adult into treatment if they don't want to go. That's generally a good thing. There used to be way too many horrific cases of families "putting people away" in insane asylums for no good reason.

In the rare instances when a person really is a danger to themselves or others, it's difficult to commit people. This could be such a case.

[LisaL]

15. I don't think they knew he was a danger to anyone until he killed his father.

From what has been reported, he didn't work and was living off his parents. Sounds like his father got fed up and cut his allowance.

[JI7]

16. yes, but in this case i think it's just a mother trying to get him off easy

[LisaL]

18. He might have had mental health problems, but that doesn't make him legally insane.

He got his mother out of the house when he went in to kill his father. That alone suggests he knew what he was doing was wrong.

[Flaleftist]

14. If they have documentation that they have been

trying to get him into a mental health hospital for 15 years and witnesses, like doctors and administrators from these mental health facilities, that would help their argument. Also, if he was ever prescribed any type of mental health related medication.

[LisaL]

17. Being mentally ill and legally insane are not one and the same.

To be found legally insane, he would have to not know what he did was wrong. Jury clearly didn't believe that.

[Turbineguy]

20. Ted Bundy's Mom ploy

[jeffreyi]

2. The podcasters are scrambling...

[JI7]

7. he was fucking 30 years old, what a fucking loser

and you know there parents paid millions to get him into college.

[USALiberal]

19. I love DU experts! nt