The sister of a woman who is a key figure in the Long Island Serial Killer case was convicted of killing her 52-year-old mother in upstate New York last year.
An Ulster County jury found Sarra Gilbert guilty Thursday of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of her mother, Mari Gilbert. Another one of Mari’s daughters, Shannon Gilbert, disappeared from Oak Beach seven years ago, leading to the discovery of 10 sets of human remains along Ocean Parkway.
Authorities have said that Sarra stabbed her mother, Mari, to death inside Sarra’s Ellenville home following an argument in July of 2016.
Sarra’s attorney is John Ray, who is also representing the Gilberts in a lawsuit against the Suffolk County Police Department, who the family blames for not preventing Shannon’s death when she called 911 on the night she went missing.
At Sarra’s trial, Ray argued that Sarra was not guilty by reason of insanity. But the jury disregarded his argument that the motive for the murder was that Sarra believed Mari was demonically possessed and engaged in witchcraft.
Sarra’s sister, Shannon, was reported missing from Oak Beach in May 2010. Over the following year, police found the other remains that investigators believe to be the victims of one of more killers. Shannon’s remains were found in an Oak Beach marsh, where police have said they believe she drowned, but her family suspects she was killed and dumped there.
