Mari Gilbert (June 22, 1964 – July 23, 2016) was an American

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

victim advocate.

Biography

Gilbert was an advocate for her daughter, Shannan, a 24-year-old woman from New Jersey who disappeared in May 2010. The investigation of Shannan's disappearance led to the discovery of the remains of 10 homicide victims scattered along Ocean Parkway in New York. Investigators believed that Shannan died of an accidental

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

that was unrelated to the crimes of the Long Island serial killer, but Gilbert challenged the finding and fought to have the case reopened as a murder investigation. An independent autopsy sought by Gilbert's family found that Shannan may have been strangled to death. Gilbert and her other daughters, Sarra and Sherre, frequently appeared on television shows discussing the case.

Death

Gilbert was stabbed to death by her 27-year-old daughter Sarra in Sarra's apartment building on Warren Street in

Ellenville, New York Ellenville is a village within the town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, New York, United States. Its population was 4,167 at the 2020 census. History The area was originally called "Socconessing" by the first inhabitants, the Esopus Munsee of ...

, on July 23, 2016. Her daughter suffered from

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

, with one report claiming that she "had voices in her head telling her to carry out the crime." Sarra was charged with

second-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...

and fourth-degree possession of a weapon, convicted of murder, and sentenced to 25 years in prison in August 2017. She is imprisoned at the

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, a women's prison Approximately 741,000 women are incarcerated in correctional facilities, a 17% increase since 2010 and the female prison population has been increasing across all contine ...

In popular culture

* In the 2020 Netflix original film ''

Lost Girls Lost Girls or Lost Girl may refer to: Film and television * ''Lost Girls'' (film), a 2020 American drama mystery film * ''The Lost Girls'' (film), a 2022 adaptation of the novel by Laurie Fox * '' Lost Girl'', a 2010–2015 Canadian supernatural ...

'', Gilbert is portrayed by

Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (born May 3, 1968), known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress. She began her professional stage career in 1987 and made her Broadway debut in 1993 as a replacement in the original production of Wendy W ...

. * In the 2021 Lifetime television film ''The Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother's Hunt for Justice'', Gilbert is portrayed by

Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Mari American activists American television personalities American women television personalities 1964 births 2016 deaths American murder victims Matricides People murdered in New York (state) Violence against women in New York (state) deaths by stabbing in New York (state) 2016 murders in the United States Female murder victims