Sarra Gilbert murdered mom Mari Gilbert with 227 stab wounds: Twisted Sisters investigates

Twisted Sisters is investigating the terrifying case of the Gilbert family in New York state, where Sarra Gilbert brutally murdered her own mother, Mari Gilbert, in the most violent fashion.

On July 23, 2016, Sarra Gilbert traveled from Ellenville, NY, to her mother’s home in Catskills, NY, and attacked Mari Gilbert.

Sarra stabbed her mother an incredible 227 times with a 15-inch kitchen knife. She also beat her with a fire extinguisher and sprayed her with foam from the extinguisher. Sarra then stripped Mari naked and removed her jewelry.

Sarra had a long history of mental illness. Her defense lawyer subsequently argued that on the day of the murder, she’d been suffering from hallucinations and was hearing voices that told her to commit the crime.

They also argued that Sarra had been subjected to years of mental and physical abuse and had even suffered from sexual abuse at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend.

However, the prosecution and members of Sarra’s family told a story of a devious, manipulative young woman who tried to excuse her drug addiction as a mental illness. They said Sarra had tormented and belittled Mari for years.

Sarra Gilbert had a history of violence

The prosecution argued that Sarra had plotted the murder for months after Mari had had her arrested for drowning a family puppy in front of her young son. Mari had then claimed custody of her grandson.

In August 2017, Sarra Gibert was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the maximum allowed by law. However, the presiding judge said that she would never walk free again if he had any say in the matter.

This was the second tragic incident to hit the family in six years. In 2010, Sarra’s older sister, Shannan Gilbert, was working as a prostitute when she fled a client’s home in Oak Beach, NY, and never returned home. It was eventually concluded that she drowned in a boggy marsh.

However, the investigation into her disappearance led to the discovery of ten sets of human remains. This was how the police first learned of the existence of the infamous Long Island Serial Killer. The murderer is suspected of killing between 10 and 16 people and, so far, has eluded capture.

More from Investigation Discovery

Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on ID this week.

Councilor Matt Garcia was shot dead in a suburban driveway as he chatted with a friend in Fairfield City, California. Gene Coombs and Henry Williams had mistaken the politician for a drug dealer who had ripped them off.

Israel Nieves was so jealous of James Rodriguez that he hatched an elaborate plan to lure him to his death. Nieves pretended to be a woman and flirted online with Rodriguez; when the killer asked him on a date, he was waiting with a firearm.

Twisted Sisters airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.