Thomas S. Gilbert Jr. was indicted in the New York State Supreme Court, but pleaded “not guilty” to the murder of his father.
Gilbert Jr., a 30-year-old socialite, had previously been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Thomas S. Gilbert Sr., founder of hedge fund Wainscott Capital Partners. He was charged with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, along with various other charges, writes Julia La Roche of Business Insider.
Hedge fund founder staged suicide
Gilbert Sr. was found dead on January 4, having been shot in the head. The body of the hedge fund founder was discovered around 3.30 p.m. in his apartment at 20 Beekman Place, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Police informed Business Insider that there had been an “argument over money.” According to a report from ABC News, Gilbert Sr. was considering reducing his son’s weekly allowance and ceasing to pay his rent, while the New York Post reported that the argument stemmed from a $200 reduction of his monthly allowance.
Gilbert Jr. arrived at his parents home on January 4, before asking his mother, Shelley, to go and get him some food. Upon her return she found her husband dead and her son no longer present. Gilbert Sr. was found with a .40 caliber Glock handgun on his chest, and police claim that Gilbert Jr. attempted to make the scene seem like a suicide.
Incriminating evidence against hedge fund founder murderer
Gilbert Jr. is known to have been the only other person present at the time of his father’s death, say police. He fled the scene on foot but was later apprehended when police visited his Chelsea apartment on West 18th Street.
Inside the apartment were 4 loose rounds of .40 ammunition and a magazine, as well as another loaded firearm. The indictment also states that police recovered a skimmer device and over 20 blank credit cards.
If he is found guilty of his hedge fund manager father’s murder it would be a remarkable twist in the life of Gilbert Jr., who attended The Buckley School and Deerfield Academy before graduating from Princeton University. He appeared to have a desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, filing an SEC form D in 2014 in order to launch a hedge fund named Mameluke Capital Fund LP.
