A New York jury has rejected the insanity defense of a 34-year-old man who shot his wealthy father after his parents reduced the $1,000-a-week allowance that supported his lavish lifestyle.
His father, Thomas Gilbert, was a highly successful hedge fund manager with four decades of experience on Wall Street.
According to the prosecution, Gilbert Jr., who was unemployed at the time, relied on a monthly allowance to keep his lavish lifestyle, spending it on travel, memberships to elite sporting clubs, and other personal expenses.
According to the DA, at the beginning of the previous year, his parents had begun to encourage him to become more self-sufficient and incrementally reduced his monthly allowance.
Six months later, in June 2014, “the defendant purchased a .40-caliber Glock handgun, corresponding ammunition, and firearm enhancements,” said the DA’s office.
His computer showed searches for websites such as “Hire-a-Killer.com” and “Find-a-Hitman.com” in November, prosecutors told the court, according to CNN.
On Jan. 4, he walked into his parent’s apartment and shot his father with the Glock, before then placing the gun in his father’s hand to fake a suicide.
However, his lawyers were unable to convince the jury that his mental state was such that he had lost the ability to tell right from wrong—as is required for a successful insanity defense under New York law.
He said that Gilbert Jr.’s attempts to conceal his crime—such as faking a suicide, hiding from police, and turning off his phone locator—suggested he knew that he was doing wrong.
“In my opinion, anyone who attempts to conceal his behavior around a crime does so because they’re aware of what they’re doing is wrong,” he testified.
“He talked a lot about his dad and how mean he was to him and how nothing was good enough,” she said.“He’s very much a loner. His phone never rang. No one texted him or called him,” said Rothschild. “The one time it rang in four months while we were together, it was his mother.”
His father was described as a “brilliant businessman, passionate tennis player, and beloved family man” by District Attorney Cyrus Vance in a statement. “But in spite of all his love and generosity, this defendant shot his father at close range in his own apartment in an unconscionable and brutal crime.”
Gilbert Jr. was also convicted of two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 9.