Breakthrough in the brutal murder of a nurse found in a pool of blood by her husband, as police identify a person of interest

The husband of a nurse found dead in her apartment has been cleared of suspicion in the gruesome murder case, but her best friend is now a person of interest.

Nicholas Gilbert, 38, returned to his unit in Merrylands, west of Sydney, on Easter Sunday at around 11:30pm on April 9, to find his wife Erin Gilbert, 42, choking on her own blood after being stabbed to death.

Gilbert frantically tried to save her life, but died at the scene before paramedics arrived.

He spent the next 24 hours in a police cell, still covered in his wife’s blood, and was told he could face possible murder charges. But he was released soon after.

Detectives have now zeroed in on Mr. Gilbert’s friend, Morten Jensen, 9News reported.

Morten Jensen (pictured) is now a person of interest in the case

Mr. Gilbert claims that he was in contact with Mr. Jensen on the night of the murder, but never heard from him in the days that followed despite numerous text messages.

“He was like a brother to me, I confided in Erin,” Gilbert said.

“I thought it was weird that he didn’t come to see me, he was meant to be my best friend, he just disappeared.”

Two weeks after Ms. Gilbert’s death, Mr. Jensen was sent to prison for unrelated matters.

He is currently behind bars at the Silverwater Correctional Centre, near Sydney’s Olympic Park.

One of the crucial pieces of evidence in the case to date has been CCTV footage of a man on a motorized bicycle speeding away from the scene of the crime in the minutes after Ms Gilbert’s death.

The police are expected to claim that the man on the bicycle is Mr. Jensen.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Mr Jensen is responsible for Ms Gilbert’s death, only that police identified him as a person of interest in their investigation.

Two months after the tragedy, Mr. Gilbert still lives in the apartment where his wife of two months died and fears he will be evicted because he was involved in a serious car accident a few years ago, suffered a brain injury and cannot work enough to pay the rent.

Blood stains on the carpet in his home make him break down every time he looks at them, Gilbert said.

“I will be on the street in the next few days, but it is quite difficult to stay there because of the (marks) on the carpet, I cry every time I see them,” he said.

“But then again, it’s the only place I feel close to Erin.”

The couple got married in 2020, and on their first wedding anniversary, she made him a box full of photos and love letters.

One letter read: ‘I don’t want you in my life, I need you in my life. You’re not my friend, you’re my best friend. I don’t like you, I love you and I’m glad I found you because I was absolutely lost without you.

Another read: ‘Because of you all my other dreams have changed, now everything I ever wanted will be complete. [because] you are the one by my side.

Gilbert said he got goosebumps when he found the letters again.

“It brought me tears of happiness and I still smile just thinking about it,” she said.

Ms Gilbert’s body was discovered face down in a pool of blood inside a unit block (police forensics photo)

Mr Jensen was arrested 19 days after the murder on unrelated charges, and is currently behind bars at the Silverwater Correctional Centre, near Sydney’s Olympic Park.

According to police, Ms. Gilbert sustained “severe” stab wounds to the head with an unknown sharp object.

Police dug through trash, inspected vehicles and interior drains for clues.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, a police spokesperson said: ‘Detectives from the State Crime Command Homicide Squad, assisted by detectives from Police Cumberland and South West Metropolitan Area Command, continue to investigate the murder of Erin Gilbert under Strike Force Trevelyan.

Anyone with any information is urged to come forward immediately.