Lawyer says woman who killed mother ‘too dangerous’ to put in jail

After a jury convicted Sarra Gilbert, 28, of the brutal murder of her mother, her defense lawyer spoke up outside the court to say jailing his client won’t stop her killing again. On July 23, 2016, Gilbert stabbed her mother 227 times with a 15-inch kitchen knife at her Ellenville apartment. Gilbert was found guilty of second-degree murder Thursday and is likely to face a minimum of 15 years to life behind bars, and up to a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.

Woman’s lawyer believes she is criminally insane

As reported by the Times Herald-Record, Gilbert’s lawyer, John Ray of Long Island, believes his client is criminally insane and was not responsible for her actions.

He said outside the court that he believes Gilbert will kill someone in prison and that it is almost certain this will happen. When asked why he believes this, Ray went on to say that Gilbert is insane, violent, and psychotic, and that she has been repeatedly homicidal.

Besides the killing of her mother, Ray says Gilbert has attacked other patients in the home with her and that she had been planning on killing her son and her sisters. He said that even on medication and in prison, the chances that she will kill again are high.

As noted by the New York Post, part of Ray’s defense of his client related to Gilbert’s older sister, Shannan.

Shannan was reportedly a prostitute and was killed by a serial killer on Long Island back in 2010. Her remains washed up on the south shore of Long Island in 2011, close to where corpses of 10 other victims were found. Reportedly, police have still not found the serial killer. Ray, however, argued that this traumatic incident affected Gilbert’s mental health.

Prosecutor says woman who murdered her mother is a sociopath

Assistant Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji, the prosecutor in the case, did agree that Gilbert was dangerous. He said there is no question that Gilbert is a sociopath, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if she killed again, but said this would not be due to a mental illness.

He said it would be because she is a sociopath. Nneji did say that he hopes Ray will alert the prison authorities to the fact that she is homicidal. He said, in that way, the necessary steps can be taken to protect prison staff and inmates, and also Gilbert herself.

According to Nneji, Gilbert tried to manipulate the jury by refusing to take her medication. In fact, he said she took illegal drugs to make her condition look worse than it is, making mental illness her excuse for the crime. However, he said the jury saw right through her. They reportedly deliberated for less than three hours before coming to the conclusion that she was guilty as charged.

Gilbert showed no emotion as the verdict was read or when she was escorted out of the court. Sentencing is set for August 4.