CENTENNIAL | Velma Gilbert shot and killed Joseph Jiles last year because she was scared he would hurt her family, Gilbert’s lawyer said Monday during closing arguments in Gilbert’s first-degree murder trial.
Scott Robinson, Gilbert’s lawyer, said Jiles represented an imminent threat to Gilbert and her family when he threatened them on June 17, 2009.
He said Jiles was screaming that he had a gun and would kill Gilbert and her daughter when Gilbert shot him that day at the Elmwood Park apartments in Aurora.
“Velma Gilbert has an absolute right to act on appearances, act on what she sees,” Robinson said.
But prosecutors argued that Jiles’ June 2009 shooting was not self defense but a “pre-emptive strike.”
Deputy District Attorney Byron Jones said Jiles was backing away from Gilbert when he was shot.
Gilbert did not believe Jiles posed an immediate threat, Jones said, but felt he might come back another day and hurt her daughter, who is Jiles’ cousin and lived at the apartment building.
“The law says if the threat is no longer imminent ... you cannot claim self defense,” Jones said.
We should have more on this story shortly. And check back here and our twitter feed for updates when the verdict comes down.
Click below for links to previous stories on Gilbert’s case.
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