Ex-roommate of Thomas Gilbert Jr claims the 34-year-old tried to kill him 'several times' and even burned down his family's mansion believing him to be inside just months before the Princeton grad 'executed his dad for lowering his allowance by $100'
- Peter Smith Jr., 36, who lived with Gilbert for several years, told a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday that Gilbert ‘tried to kill me on several occasions’
- Smith detailed one 2014 incident, claiming that the defendant had tried to kill him by burning down his family’s 350-year-old mansion believing he was inside
- Smith says he was accused of a number bizarre offenses, including stealing obscure items from Gilbert's room, hacking his computer and bank account
- However the slurry of accusations soon escalated into physical violence, with Smith claiming that Gilbert 'attacked me on several occasions'
- Last week, Gilbert’s ex-girlfriend Anna Rothschild also voiced that she had serious concerns about the defendant’s mental state during their relationship
Long before he allegedly shot and killed his father, a former roommate of Thomas Gilbert Jr. says the warning signs had long been evident, claiming to have had his own life threatened by the Princeton graduate numerous times.
Peter Smith Jr., 36, who lived with Gilbert for two years, told a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday that the shaggy-haired socialite ‘tried to kill me on several occasions’, as part of a shocking testimony.
Smith - the son of banking executive Peter Smith Sr. - detailed one specific instance dating back to 2014, where he claimed the defendant tried to kill him by burning down his family’s 350-year-old mansion in Southampton, believing Smith to be inside.
The arson attempt occurred just months before prosecutors say Gilbert, 34, shot his hedge-fund father in the head for slashing his allowance by $100, in January 2015.
Peter Smith Jr., 36, who lived with Gilbert for several years, told a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday that the shaggy-haired socialite ‘tried to kill me on several occasions’, as part of a shocking testimony.
Smith and Gilbert first began living together in 2011. They then cohabited on and off for the next two years, between surfing trips abroad together
Smith - the son of banking executive Peter Smith Sr. - detailed one specific instance dating back to 2014, where he claimed the defendant tried to kill him by burning down his family’s 350-year-old mansion in Southampton (shown above), believing Smith to be inside
Smith and Gilbert first began living together in 2011. They then cohabited on and off for the next two years, between surfing trips abroad together.
But from the very beginning Smith said he grew increasingly concerned by Gilbert’s behavior, after he accused Smith of a number bizarre offenses, including stealing obscure items from his room, hacking his computer and breaking into his bank account.
However the slurry of accusations soon escalated into physical violence, with Smith claiming that Gilbert suddenly became ‘very aggressive’ and ‘attacked me on several occasions’.
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One exchange in September 2013 saw purportedly saw Gilbert flip out and brand Smith a ‘scumbag’ after he picked up his dog by the scruff of the neck, prompting Gilbert to call the SPCA.
Despite Smith finally kicking him out of the property shortly afterwards, he claims a month later that Gilbert ambushed him outside the property, mercilessly beating him with closed fists and shattering his nose.
Less than a year later is when Smith says Gilbert attempted to burn down his family’s mansion because ‘he thought I was in it’.
Smith said he grew increasingly concerned by Gilbert’s behavior, after he accused Smith of a number bizarre offenses, including stealing obscure items from his room, hacking his computer and breaking into his bank account
However the slurry of accusations soon escalated into physical violence, with Smith claiming that Gilbert suddenly became ‘very aggressive’ and ‘attacked me on several occasions’
Rothschild also spoke to DailyMail.com in the days after Gilbert Jr's 2015 arrest and described the strained and fractured relationship between him and his father. Gilbert Jr is pictured left in a mugshot taken the night of the murder and Thomas Gilbert Sr is pictured right
Gilbert, the son of a millionaire, was named as a key suspect in the face but was never convicted of any arson charges.
Just last week, Gilbert’s ex-girlfriend Anna Rothschild also voiced that she had serious concerns about the defendant’s mental state during their courtship in 2014.
The 51-year-old said she would religiously Google his bouts of odd behaviour hoping to get to the root of what might be ‘wrong with him’.
'I don't know the extent of his mental illness but it was significant enough for my friends and I to Google what could be wrong with him,' Rothschild told DailyMail.com on June 13 after taking the witness stand at Gilbert Jr's trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.
'The process is of course unnerving but with the help of my experienced lawyer Edward V Sapone, it all went very smoothly,' the socialite said of her testimony.
Sapone praised his client agreeing to speak at the trial given her history with the defendant.
Despite Smith finally kicking him out of the property shortly afterwards, he claims a month later that Gilbert ambushed him outside the property, mercilessly beating him with closed fists and shattering his nose
'The subject matter is obviously not flattering, which is why Anna deserves credit for going down to court doing the right thing and testifying honestly,' he said.
Rothschild also spoke to DailyMail.com in the days after his 2015 arrest and described the strained and fractured relationship between Gilbert Jr and his father.
She said the man she knew was a loner with few friends who resented Gilbert Sr because he was 'never good enough' for his dad.
Gilbert Jr told friends that he was starting his own hedge fund, but according to Rothschild, he was aimless, jobless and showed little real interest in changing.
Anna Rothschild, the former girlfriend of 'dad killer' Thomas Gilbert Jr, has revealed she had serious concerns about his mental state when they were together back in 2014. Rothschild is seen arriving in Manhattan Supreme Court to testify at his murder trial on Wednesday
He was 'preoccupied' with his father, she said, and admitted that a friend once warned her that Gilbert Jr would 'chop her into little tiny pieces'.
By the time Rothschild and Gilbert Jr met he already had a history of violence bad enough to have seen him get arrested more than once.
During his time at Princeton, he was busted for possessing cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms and charged with third-degree aggravated assault when he head-butted a nurse who was treating him after he was admitted to the hospital under the influence.
He completed a pre-trial intervention program and the assault charge was dismissed the following year in 2008 leaving him to go onto complete his degree in economics.
Rothschild, 51, dated Gilbert Jr just months before he allegedly shot his investment banker father Thomas Gilbert Sr in the head in January 2015. 'I don't know the extent of his mental illness but it was significant enough for my friends and I to Google what could be wrong with him,' Rothschild told DailyMail.com on Wednesday. The couple are pictured together in 2014
According to his ex-girlfriend Rothschild, Gilbert Jr resented Gilbert Sr because he was 'never good enough' for his dad. The defendant is seen in court on May 28, the first day of his trial
Five years later any lessons learned seemed to have been well and truly cast aside when Gilbert Jr violently attacked his friend and former roommate, Peter Smith Jr.
He told his ex Rothschild that, through the years, he had been on Xanax for anxiety, undergone substantial psychotherapy. Some reports suggest he had seen a psychiatrist as recently as the month before his father's shooting.
Prosecutors say Gilbert Jr became angry because his father planned to reduce his $1,000-a-week allowance down to $900.
Gilbert Jr's lawyers have been trying to convince the judge that their client is not competent to stand trial. The defendant was removed from the courtroom last week for repeated disruptions
The defense has been trying to convince a Manhattan Supreme Court justice that their client is not competent to stand trial, and that he has suffered from severe mental illness since he was in high school.
Gilbert Jr's lawyers have signaled that they may attempt to mount an insanity defense, maintaining that he was in the midst of a psychotic break when he pressed a .40 caliber Glock to his father's head and pulled the trigger.
The defendant was dragged out of the courtroom last week after having made dozens of bizarre outbursts and ignoring repeated warnings from Justice Jackson.
