Psychiatrist: Son fit for trial in hedge-fund father's murder
NEW YORK -- A forensic psychologist hired by the Manhattan District Attorney's office says a man accused of killing his hedge-fund founder father over a cut in his allowance is fit to stand trial.
According to The New York Times, Stuart Kirschner said in court Wednesday that although two court-appointed psychiatrists found Thomas Gilbert Jr. unfit to stand trial, he had no trace of serious mental disorders.
The 31-year-old is accused of shooting Thomas Gilbert Sr. in January 2015 and then trying to make it appear as if his 70-year-old father killed himself.
Police believe Gilbert Jr. killed his father during a dispute about his allowance.
Authorities said Thomas Gilbert Jr. went to visit his father and asked his mother to leave so that he could speak to his father alone in the couple's Manhattan apartment. Police said the mother obliged but within 15 minutes of leaving said she had "a bad feeling" and returned to find her husband dead.
According to authorities, a gun was found resting on the 70-year-old's chest with his left hand covering the weapon. When police responded to the scene, they said they determined it to be "staged. They got a warrant and collected evidence from Gilbert Jr.'s home.
Gilbert's attorney, Alex Spiro, said Gilbert has a history of delusions and psychotic symptoms going back at least a decade. He previously informed the judge he would present a mental health defense if the case goes to trial. He has pleaded not guilty.