A 34-year-old Princeton graduate accused of murdering his hedge fund millionaire father after his allowance was lowered by $100 per week reportedly had to be dragged out of a courtroom on Monday after shouting “objection” and uttering unclear legal jargon.
Justice Melissa Jackson order Thomas “Tommy” Gilbert Jr. to be hauled out of the courtroom after the murder defendant shouted “objection” and made other requests on the fly. Gilbert Jr. reportedly stared a jurors and said “I’d like to ask to suppress the evidence.”
According to the New York Post, a police detective was testifying about how authorities handle the emotionally disturbed before Gilbert shouted his objection.
The judge responded to this by saying, “Thank you, your application is denied.” After Jurors were sent out of the courtroom, three officers of the court hauled Gilbert out of the room. As this happened, Gilbert was reportedly decrying “constitutional court misconduct” and “prosecutorial misconduct.”
Gilbert’s lawyer claimed that it is necessary to determine whether his client is competent to stand trial. The judge rejected that and informed counsel that one more outburst like this and Gilbert will not be allowed back in the courtroom. The defense has also claimed that Gilbert was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The attorney claimed that the killing wasn’t about money, but rather the culmination of long-existing mental illness.
Gilbert is accused of pressing a Glock .40 “tightly” to his father Thomas Gilbert Sr.’s head on Jan. 4, 2015 before shooting and killing him. This allegedly resulted in “blood and pieces of brain matter oozing out into a puddle next to his head.”
The gruesome details add on to what is already a jaw-dropping storyline. Gilbert Jr.’s allowance was cut from $400 to $300 per week and yet that was all it took to sent him into a murderous rage, authorities allege. Among the remarkable details of the case are that the Princeton-educated Gilbert Jr. allegedly searched websites Hireakiller.com and hitman.com. On the day of the killing, Gilbert Jr. allegedly asked his mom to get him a sandwich; while she was out he allegedly shot his father in the head and tried to make it look like a suicide.
Gilbert Jr. has been remembered by some for his awkward silence, the ability to attract women initially and then repel them, and for being “a little bit off.” One person remarked that it seemed he was “on a mood leveler.”
[Image via HLN screengrab]
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