A former North Carolina doctor convicted of murdering his sexually abusive father could finally be released from prison two years after receiving a pardon for a rare disease.
Vince Gilmer, 61, was conditionally pardoned in January 2022, while his The medical mystery gained widespread attention after being documented on a popular radio show and in a book.
But because of the strict terms attached to the pardon and what his advocates describe as delay or indifference on the part of government officials and health care institutions, he remained behind bars in an area of the southwest. Virginia prison as his health deteriorated.
Gilmer suffers from Huntington’s disease, a rare, devastating and incurable disorder that attacks the brain and affects patients’ cognition and physical abilities.
His diagnosis, revealed after his conviction by the doctor who took charge of his practice and who curiously shares his last name, was the basis for the pardon, which was granted to him after many years of defense.
Vince Gilmer, 61, was conditionally pardoned in January 2022, while his medical mystery gained widespread attention after being documented in a popular radio show and a book.
Vince Gilmer admitted to killing his father, whom he accused at trial of committing horrific acts of sexual abuse against him when he was a child, and received a life sentence.
Although no one claims Gilmer is innocent, his supporters argue that the outcome of his 2005 trial, in which he insisted on representing himself and jurors rejected his insanity defense, likely would have been different if he had been properly diagnosed at the time. .
They argued that mercy, in the form of admission to a treatment center, was the most appropriate outcome.
With the help of a North Carolina legislator, the successor to Gilmer’s medical practice and now advocate and legal guardian, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, found a hospital willing to accept Vince Gilmer as a long-term patient, according to the terms of the pardon.
He received confirmation from Virginia officials that Vince Gilmer will be released Thursday, he said in an interview.
‘It’s such a beautiful moment. But at the same time, we’re all stressed and anxious because, you know, you never know what could happen between…the prison door,” Benjamin Gilmer said.
The Virginia Department of Corrections did not directly respond to a question about when Gilmer would be released, but confirmed in a written statement that it was working through “logistics” to set a release date “as soon as possible.”
Benjamin Gilmer, who gave a series of interviews to discuss the case, recently visited the Marion Correctional Treatment Center where Vince Gilmer is detained, to share the news. The two men are not related.
Gilmer admitted to killing his father, whom he accused at trial of committing horrific acts of sexual abuse against him when he was a child, and received a life sentence.
The Marion Correctional Treatment Center in Virginia, where Gilmer currently lives.
‘He had a moment of joy and expressed it as best he could. But in some ways it was a little anticlimactic because it’s in such bad condition,” Benjamin Gilmer said.
Vince Gilmer is in the “terminal phases” of his illness, confined to a wheelchair and close to being bedridden, struggling to eat, losing his cognitive abilities and at high risk for aspiration pneumonia, Benjamin Gilmer said. .
The hospital setting will provide more robust treatment and allow Vince Gilmer to “experience some life and dignity,” including more regular visits from his mother, said Benjamin Gilmer, who arranged safe transportation for the transfer.
“I’m praying I can get there and just hug him again,” said Gloria Hitt, Vince Gilmer’s 80-year-old mother.
Benjamin Gilmer wrote in his book, ‘The Other Dr. Gilmer,’ that he became fascinated with the Vince Gilmer case after joining the family medicine clinic outside Asheville where Vince Gilmer used to work.
Patients and former colleagues described Vince Gilmer as a beloved member of the community and a dedicated doctor who made house calls, remembered birthdays and cared for patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Benjamin Gilmer eventually wrote to Vince Gilmer and began trying to square his reputation with the horrible crime for which he had been convicted.
His search was documented by the journalist. Sara Koeniglater the host of the popular podcast ‘Serial’, in an episode of ‘This American Life’ titled ‘Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde.
The grave of Gilmer’s father, Dalton, whom he murdered
Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, longtime advocate for Virginia inmate Vince Gilmer (no relation), who is expected to be released from prison later this week.
Vince Gilmer’s father, Dalton Gilmer, was found dead in southwest Virginia, near the North Carolina border, in 2004, shortly after Vince Gilmer released him from a psychiatric hospital.
They strangled him and cut off his fingers. Vince Gilmer claimed at trial that his father made a sexual advance toward him and exploded at a time when he was also hearing voices, the Richmond Times-Dispatch. previously reportedciting trial transcripts.
Two prosecutors involved in the trial could not be reached for comment. The presiding judge said through a spokeswoman for the firm where he now works that he cannot comment on previous cases.
Benjamin Gilmer’s research eventually led to the diagnosis of Huntington’s confirmed by laboratory analysis. He began connecting with attorneys and other advocates who would strategize to free Vince Gilmer from prison through a clemency petition.
Former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe denied the request. Then so did Gov. Ralph Northam, his Democratic successor.
But Northam, a doctor, reconsidered and granted a conditional pardon on one of his final days in office.
He terms He said Vince Gilmer had to be accepted into a medical or psychiatric facility, remain on parole as directed by the Virginia Parole Board and provide his own “safe” transportation.
Efforts were underway to find a placement for Vince Gilmer. Benjamin Gilmer wrote that he unsuccessfully applied to all public mental health hospitals in Virginia, as well as appropriate public mental health facilities in North Carolina, “but they demanded that Vince be first at a Virginia hospital for an out-of-status transfer.” to state”. “Vince was stuck in a strange no man’s land,” he wrote.
Gilmer had to be accepted into a medical or psychiatric facility, remain on parole as directed by the Virginia Parole Board, and provide his own “safe” transportation.
Benjamin Gilmer’s research eventually led to the diagnosis of Huntington’s confirmed by laboratory analysis. He began connecting with attorneys and other advocates who would strategize to free Vince Gilmer from prison through a clemency petition.
“No one cares that they have a man dying in their prison,” Benjamin Gilmer said in an interview before receiving confirmation of his release date, adding that many private institutions were also reluctant to house a convicted murderer.
The efforts of North Carolina State Senator Julie Mayfield led to a breakthrough. Mayfield said in an interview that she found a western North Carolina hospital that in mid-2023 she had agreed to accept Vince Gilmer.
If all goes as planned, a welcome brigade along with a film crew working on a documentary about Vince Gilmer’s story plans to meet him Thursday in Marion, with a special meal in hand: a Coca-Cola, Twinkies and a Whopper.
Benjamin Gilmer said his defense of Vince Gilmer, now going on for more than a decade, has convinced him that the United States imprisons too many people with mental illness in a way that is “not consistent with ethics, humanity or the Hippocratic Oath.” “.
“We haven’t had any confidence in the Virginia prison system over the years,” he said. “We’re not going to celebrate until Thursday.”