Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite

by John Glatt

Overview

In Golden Boy, New York Times bestselling author John Glatt tells the true story of Thomas Gilbert Jr., the handsome and charming New York socialite accused of murdering his father, a Manhattan millionaire and hedge fund founder.

By all accounts, Thomas Gilbert Jr. led a charmed life. The son of a wealthy financier, he grew up surrounded by a loving family and all the luxury an Upper East Side childhood could provide: education at the elite Buckley School and Deerfield Academy, summers in a sprawling seaside mansion in the Hamptons. With his striking good looks, he moved with ease through glittering social circles and followed in his father’s footsteps to Princeton.

But Tommy always felt different. The cracks in his façade began to show in warning signs of OCD, increasing paranoia, and—most troubling—an inexplicable hatred of his father. As his parents begged him to seek psychiatric help, Tommy pushed back by self-medicating with drugs and escalating violence. When a fire destroyed his former best friend’s Hamptons home, Tommy was the prime suspect—but he was never charged. Just months later, he arrived at his parents’ apartment, calmly asked his mother to leave, and shot his father point-blank in the head.

Journalist John Glatt takes an in-depth look at the devastating crime that rocked Manhattan’s upper class. With exclusive access to sources close to Tommy, including his own mother, Glatt constructs the agonizing spiral of mental illness that led Thomas Gilbert Jr. to the ultimate unspeakable act.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250086068
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/26/2022
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	1,028,291
Product dimensions:	4.70(w) x 6.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

English-born JOHN GLATT is the author of more than twenty-five books including The Lost Girls and My Sweet Angel, and has over thirty years of experience as an investigative journalist in England and America. He has appeared on television and radio programs all over the world, including Dateline NBC, Fox News, ABC’s 20/20, BBC World News, and A&E Biography.

Table of Contents

Prologue ix

Part 1

1 To the Manner Born 3

2 "A Certain Gatsby-esque Quality" 11

3 World's Greatest Dad 16

4 The Maidstone Club 20

5 Deerfield 28

6 Princeton Breakdown 35

7 Out of Control 42

8 Lila Chase 45

9 Cleaning Up 51

10 "He's Going to Run a Hedge Fund" 57

Part 2

11 "A Quick Romance" 65

12 "To the Most Beautiful Girl I've Ever Met" 76

13 The Closet Affair 83

14 "You're a Loser" 91

15 "What a Nightmare" 97

16 "Saving Tommy Gilbert" 104

17 Anna Rothschild 109

18 "Like a Kid with a New Toy" 117

19 "He Was Kind of Fooling Around" 124

20 The Comfort of Silence 130

21 Arson 135

22 Spiraling Down 144

Part 3

23 My Son Shot My Husband 155

24 "Tommy, Open the Door!" 166

25 Perp Walk 173

Part 4

26 Rikers Island 183

27 "Messing With Me" 192

28 "The Press Preys on Well-To-Do Families" 201

29 Is He or Isn't He? 209

30 "Defendant's Appearance Alone Is Remarkable in a Criminal Courtroom" 225

31 My Client Is Radioactive 229

32 A Plea Bargain 241

33 "I Had No Choice" 253

34 "You Have the Potential to Be a Good Lawyer" 260

Part 5

35 The Trial 271

36 A Circus 286

37 "He Was Extremely Good-Looking" 295

38 "It's a Free Game" 308

39 It Was Really the Aha Moment 315

40 "The Ultimate Tantrum" 327

Epilogue 335

Editorial Reviews

Piercing … add this one to your beach bag.” –People Magazine

“An in-depth look at an act that shocked the city’s elite.” –New York Post, “Best Books of 2021”

“Glatt is a balanced narrator of this story; though it would be easy to dismiss Gilbert as a privileged man-child protected by wealth and connections, the author also examines how complicated mental illness diagnoses can be, even for people with access to doctors and treatments….A tragic character study at the intersection of wealth, privilege, and mental illness, told with empathy.” — Library Journal

“True crime fans will find this a compelling read.” —Booklist

"Glatt shares alarming revelations about the state of the mental health system, where psychiatrists are largely powerless to intervene even when they see serious psychological issues that could result in harm to the patient or others. This is must reading for true crime enthusiasts who prize depth over salaciousness." —Publishers Weekly

"Glatt expertly interweaves the issues of mental health and privilege... by thorough investigative research and empathy for all involved, [he] has managed to present these complicated matters in an intriguing, enthralling narrative." —Criminal Element

From the Publisher

06/07/2021

In this disturbing account, bestseller Glatt (The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder) chronicles the life and trial of Tommy Gilbert Jr., who sent shock waves through New York City’s upper crust when he murdered his hedge fund manager father in 2015. Gilbert appeared to have it all: good looks, intelligence, elite pedigree, Princeton education, and a generous allowance from a loving family. But his parents used their wealth and influence to cover up their son’s deepening mental problems and escalating violent tendencies, which had already manifested in verbal attacks, physical assaults, and arson. Glatt uses extensive personal interviews, court records, and investigative reports to provide a comprehensive look at how Gilbert’s mental illness mainly went unchecked, leading to his final act of violence. (In 2019, he received the maximum sentence of 30 years to life). Beyond this specific murder, Glatt shares alarming revelations about the state of the mental health system, where psychiatrists are largely powerless to intervene even when they see serious psychological issues that could result in harm to the patient or others. This is must reading for true crime enthusiasts who prize depth over salaciousness. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (July)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2021

Journalist Glatt's (The Perfect Father) new book opens in 2015, with the wealthy and privileged Thomas Gilbert Jr. murdering his father, Thomas Gilbert Sr., with a gunshot to the head. Glatt then traces Gilbert's life and psychological decline and the largely failed attempts to address it. When the younger Gilbert entered Princeton University, traits that had, in his earlier years, been seen as quirks became serious concerns. Gilbert received an array of diagnoses, from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to schizophrenia, and was treated with therapy, medication, and a stint at an inpatient clinic. He was also self-medicating with near-constant marijuana use and sporadic intake of LSD, steroids, alcohol, and other drugs. At times, his family's desire to keep up appearances trumped their commitment to addressing Gilbert's growing delusions. Eventually, he assaulted a former friend and was suspected of burning down that friend's family vacation home. Gilbert's murder of his father was incited when his parents cut off the then-30-year-old's weekly allowance. Glatt is a balanced narrator of this story; though it would be easy to dismiss Gilbert as a privileged man-child protected by wealth and connections, the author also examines how complicated mental illness diagnoses can be, even for people with access to doctors and treatments. VERDICT A tragic character study at the intersection of wealth, privilege, and mental illness, told with empathy for Gilbert's victims.—Bart Everts, Rutgers Univ.-Camden Lib., NJ

Library Journal