Thomas Gilbert, the founder of Wainscott Capital Partners, was discovered shot dead in Manhattan Sunday. His son, Tommy Gilbert, has been charged with his father’s murder, which was reportedly his reaction to having his allowance cut.
Gilbert, 30, has been in police custody since 10:45 p.m., police say, reports ABC News. He was arrested at 11 a.m. on Monday and made his first court appearance later in the day.
During the hearing, Gilbert did not say a word and did not enter a plea. His next hearing has been scheduled for Friday.
Gilbert was charged with second degree murder for the shooting death of his 70-year-old father and a weapons charge. Police also say they found a skimming device in his apartment, along with 21 blank credit cards, so he has also been charged with 21 counts of criminal possession of forgery devices.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told The New York Daily News that it appears that Gilbert was in debt and on a family stipend. The Princeton grad was reportedly going to have his $400-a-week allowance slashed by $100.
Police say that they found a .40-caliber Glock 22 handgun in Thomas Gilbert’s apartment and they believe it is the murder weapon. Authorities add that Gilbert tried to make it look like a suicide, but police didn’t buy it.
“The gun laying where it was didn’t seem like a self-inflicted wound as we’ve had in the past,” Boyce explained.
Authorities believe that Gilbert killed his father while his mother was out, since Gilbert asked her to get him a sandwich. Boyce told ABC News that his mother did have a “bad feeling” about leaving the two of them alone. When she returned, she found Thomas Gilbert dead.