By AHAQIR ISHAQ & GABRIEL PARIENTE
A court hearing for a Princeton grad accused of killing his millionaire hedge-fund father was postponed once again after a Manhattan prosecutor asked for a third psychiatrist to evaluate Thomas Gilbert Jr. to determine if he was mentally fit to stand trial.
Gilbert Jr., 30, was found unfit by Judge Melissa Jackson last week but the DA’ office then asked for another week to decide whether to challenge the findings.
In July, defense lawyer Alex Spiro requested that the defendant undergo a mental health exam after media reports surfaced about the son’s erratic behavior in jail.
“We were hoping the state independent evaluations would get the district attorney to allow Gilbert, Jr. to get the treatment he needs,” said Spiro.
Gilbert, Jr. didn’t show up for the hearing because he wasn’t in stable condition according to his lawyer. He was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Both psychiatrists recommended that Gilbert Jr. be moved to a state hospital until his mental condition stabilizes.
Shelley, Thomas Gilbert Sr.’s wife, found the murdered husband lying on the floor of their Beekman Place condo with a .40-calliber Glock lying on his chest.
The Attorney’s Office claimed that the son killed his millionaire father after the father stopped giving Jr. a $200 allowance. Gilbert Jr. was accused of trying to stage the scene to look like a suicide according to the prosecutors.
If convicted, Gilbert Jr. faces 25 years to life. The next hearing was scheduled for October 19th.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.