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Mari Gilbert’s children were all daughters. Her four daughters are Shannan, Sherre, Sarrah, and Stevie. One of her four daughters, Shannan, tragically died and her death is still being investigated. Another daughter, Sarra, was convicted of killing Mari in 2016. She has two other daughters. One, Sherre, ran a Facebook page dedicated to Shannan’s case. Stevie has stayed out of the spotlight for the most part. Here’s what you need to know about Mari Gilbert’s daughters.
Mari Gilbert’s Daughter Sarra Was Found Guilty of Killing Her Mom
In 2016, Mari Gilbert was found dead in her daughter Sarra Gilbert’s apartment in Ellenville, CBS New York reported. Attorney John Ray told CBS that Sarra invited Mari to her home and “in the living room, she was knifed to death.”
Sarra heard voices that urged her to perform violent acts, New York Daily News reported.
In 2017, Sarra was convicted of second-degree murder, Daily Freeman reported. She was sentenced to 25 years to life, which was the maximum sentence, Daily Freeman reported.
Sarra, diagnosed with schizophrenia, had been cycling out of mental hospitals, Ray said. But she had recently become dangerous, even drowning her pet puppy in front of her eight-year-old child. Ray also said that she was going to kill her own son, but her boyfriend stopped her.
The prosecution argued that Sarra killed her mother out of anger because Mari had Sarrah arrested after Sarra drowned her puppy. Mari also may have had temporary custody of Sarra’s son, Daily Freeman reported.
Sarra said her mom practiced witchcraft and she believed Mari was a demon. She believed the voices in her head were caused by her mom.
Sherre, Sarra’s sister, spoke about Sarra after her sentencing and said they tried to get Sarrah help, but she would get better for a short period of time and then get worse again, People reported. She believed her sister belonged in a place where she could be treated and not in a prison.
Sherre Gilbert Helped Run a Facebook Page Dedicated to Solvinghacke Her Sister’s Death
Sherre was an administrator for a Facebook page dedicated to trying to solve her sister Shannan’s death called Praying for Shannan Maria Gilbert. She doesn’t go to the page as frequently anymore, but still posts updates from time to time. She shared the photo above showing Mari Gilbert with her daughters during simpler times.
When her mom died, Sherre wrote about it on Facebook the next day, sharing that Sarra had battled mental illness for more than two years. She said she decided to keep the Facebook page going, despite her and her sister Stevie’s devastation, because of all the work and dedication her mom and their lawyer John Ray had put into Shannan’s case.
She wrote a heartfelt message about Shannan in 2019, saying: “It’s been 8yrs since you were found. It was a year and a half that you went missing. A year and a half of questions & no answers, clues or hints. A year & a half of anger, tears & sleepless nights. A year & a half of hope, prayers & dreams.People say I have a tragic life because of my circumstances but one thing is for sure. I’m blessed to have had you in my life for 22yrs and I’m grateful that you were eventually found. Words can’t even describe the amount of pain and heartache I feel everyday for you & mom. They say ‘time heals all wounds’ but I think time only hides it. Until we meet again my dear sister; sleep with mom & the Angels.”
On January 15, she wrote a hopeful note that DNA testing might help find her sister’s killer.
Shannan Gilbert’s Cause of Death Was Listed as Inconclusive
FacebookShannan Gilbert in a Facebook photo.
Shannan Gilbert went missing after a terrifying 911 call in May 2010. In 2011, her body was found in a marshy area. But before her body was found, multiple other women’s bodies were found on Ocean Parkway between Gilgo and Oak Beach and authorities began to suspect a serial killer had been at work in the area. Authorities said they thought Shannan’s death wasn’t connected and might have been a drowning. A county medical examiner said her cause of death was undetermined.
In 2016, a private, independent autopsy reported a different finding, The New York Times reported. Dr. Michael M. Baden conducted the autopsy and said she might have been murdered. He said the cause of death could not be determined, but the autopsy showed some findings consistent with strangulation. He said homicide could not be ruled out, nothing that the larynx was missing and a hyoid bone was missing “horns,” which might happen in the case of strangulation.
In January 2020, police changed Gilbert’s cause of death to inconclusive rather than accidental, Daily Freeman reported. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said investigators were “not necessarily certain” if Shannan was killed.
Stevie Smith
Stevie Smith tends to stays out of the spotlight. During her sister Sarra’s trial, she appeared for the prosecution. She testified that it wasn’t mental illness that led Sarra to kill her mom, but drugs and long term hate, The Cut reported. Stevie also said that her sister Sarra had tormented and belittled her mom for years, In Touch Weekly reported.
According to Mari Gilbert’s obituary, Mari had four grandsons when she died and she was engaged to Elroy J. Shulterbrandt.