Thomas Gilbert, Sr., founder of Wainscott Capital hedgefund, murdered by his son
http://abcnews.go.com/US/hedge-fund-founder-thomas-gilbert-srs-death-staged/story?id=28007547
The father discussed stopping 30 yr old son’s rent, and cutting son’s $400/wk allowance to $300. The father graduated from Andover. Son graduated from another prominent prep school.
So much for that expensive prep school & ivy league education…
Tragic.
The exception does not the rule make.
Of course not. But the point is is that going to these schools does not guarantee a perfect life.
GMTplus7, your tone comes across as snark, which is unfortunate.
This is such a sad story. The details coming out sound like mental illness, probably coming out or being noticed in college. This evening the papers are mentioning that he was “off his medication.” There are reports that he took 6 years to finish due to multiple leaves from college. That means either disciplinary problems, academic problems, mental health problems, or financial problems. Or all of the above.
Which begs the question why he was admitted to Princeton? Development case?
http://nypost.com/2015/01/06/son-accused-of-murdering-hedge-funder-dad-has-a-dark-past/
He was an athletic legacy, at least.
As to his academic capacity, I have no way of knowing, nor do you. However, it is well documented that the college years are a time of life in which serious mental illness can emerge, especially in young men. It is possible that he was highly functioning before the emergence of schizophrenia, or whatever he might have. He could also have/have had a drug habit. Killing his father makes no rational sense. It does not sound from the newspaper reports as if he had made a plan to “get away with it.” He may have been grandiose enough to believe he could start his own hedge fund, and have blamed his father for his lack of success (feeling persecuted.) (grandiosity and feeling persecuted are both signs of schizophrenia.) See: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=168518, and http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/The_Real_World__Recognizing_Mental_Illness_in_Young_Adults.html.
@GMT, Rich, famous people’s kids getting into Ivies is as old as the institutions themselves.
@Periwinkle, I don’t know why you have to defend someone about whom you know nothing personally. Could have, would have are only guesses and not helpful.
News reports are claiming the mother told police the son has a history of mental illness.
Mental illness isn’t a defense. It would be an explanation for the social isolation, the extreme behavior, and the need to take 6 years to graduate, when finances were not a factor.
Had he killed his father in the heat of the moment, sure, I could find “spoiled brat” to be a sufficient explanation. The crime as described is cold-blooded murder, without any effort to get away or to escape blame. “Go get me a sandwich Mom,” then return home to barricade yourself in your apartment is not a plan. It’s also not a sane plan to inherit a fortune, as a murderer doesn’t profit from his crime.
He has drug problems, was told that his allowance will be reduced. If someone is 30, is living on an allowance, then he/she is a failure. You know many people get away using insanity defense, especially if they are rich and have a good lawyer.
Offenders don’t “get away with” an insanity defense in New York. They might in fiction, but not in real life.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/nyregion/david-tarloff-is-given-life-sentence-for-08-killing-of-psychologist.html?_r=0
Tarloff was sentenced to life in prison. It’s likely Gilbert will also be sentenced to life in prison.
However, my point remains that serious mental illness can emerge during the late teens/early twenties, especially in young men. Drug use can cause or trigger mental illness, however it can emerge without drug use. Search for the term “psychotic break” on the Parents Forum of CC; you will pull up 41 pages of posts. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/search?Page=p2&cat=15&adv=1&search=psychotic+break
I agree with Periwinkle, it’s not defensive but empathetic to consider the fears and efforts of a family with mental illness. Lot’s of very talented and capable people struggle with this, many do just fine. It’s heartbreaking to see such a violent event. Where he went to school, or his father went to school are irrelevant. I have a family member, who went to an Ivy School where he developed mental health issues. I am happy to say he is doing great, and has a great family of his own. The only time class and status matter in these situations is having access to good healthcare.
The prosecution rests!
… sigh