This Doctor Was Convicted Of First-Degree Murder And Sentenced To Life Behind Bars, And The Doctor Who Took Over His Practice Found Out That He Was Suffering From Huntington’s Disease, So He Fought To Free Him
In 2003, a beloved small-town doctor from North Carolina named Vince Gilmer unexpectedly murdered his father.
The public could not believe the news, and, during the trial, Vince alleged his brain “was not working right.” Vince also described the abuse he had endured at the hands of his father during childhood.
Nonetheless, the prosecution believed he was lying about suffering a mental illness, and Vince was eventually convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life behind bars.
It was not until a few years later, when another doctor named Benjamin Gilmer– who had no relation to Vince– took over the North Carolina practice and began to investigate Vince’s case, that the true events came to light.
Benjamin studied Vince’s files and realized that he had been suffering from undiagnosed Huntington’s disease.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Huntington’s disease is “a rare, inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown (degeneration) of nerve cells in the brain.”
Symptoms of the disease most often appear between the age of thirty or forty and can manifest as a lack of awareness of behavior and abilities, lack of impulse control, feelings of irritability and sadness, and social withdrawal.
Benjamin believed that the diagnosis would have explained much of Vince’s behavior, and, upon conducting a genetic test at the prison, he was confirmed to have Huntington’s disease.
This launched Benjamin’s eight-year legal battle to free Vince from prison. He argued that Vince should have never been sent to jail but instead to a mental hospital.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Vince
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And finally, in January of 2022, Governor Northam of Virginia did grant Vince his clemency petition.
This should have allowed Vince to be released from prison so long as he was transferred to a mental facility.
But, for the past six months, Vince has remained behind bars despite being a free man. He is now wheelchair-bound and battling late-stage Huntington’s disease with little to no mental help.
Meanwhile, his transfer to a Virginia public mental hospital has been halted for unclear reasons.
Benjamin Gilmer has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to push back against the Virginia Department of Corrections and Mental Health and finally get Vince the help he needs.
“Help us get what Vince deserves– justice, freedom, and proper medical treatment after wrongfully suffering nineteen years of prison hell,” he pleaded.
“Vince is not a threat to society; he is mentally and physically ill,” Benjamin continued.
He has since asked the public to raise one hundred thousand dollars to secure Vince’s transfer to a private hospital where he can be treated and live out the rest of his limited days.
And so far, nearly nine hundred and fifty donors have contributed just over seventy-three thousand dollars to the cause.
“This story breaks my heart. I have seen firsthand how hard Huntington’s disease is on people and their families. This man deserves medical treatment. I wish I could donate more,” wrote one contributor.
“I am a criminal defense attorney in North Carolina. I am thankful for the team of lawyers and physicians who secured the commutation but disgusted with the North Carolina Department of Corrections. I am hopeful that he can be released soon!” wrote a second donor.
“As someone who has Huntington’s in my own family, I pray that Vince gets the help he so desperately needs. Prison is no place for him!” said a third.
Benjamin has since explained that even if the campaign does not reach the one hundred thousand dollar goal, Vince will still be moved to a private hospital, and further fundraising will commence in order to cover the total cost.
“But, if the campaign exceeds its goal, we will be able to have Vince stay in the private hospital longer and with a higher level of care,” Benjamin explained.
If you would like to learn more about Vince, share his story, or donate to his cause, you can visit the GoFundMe campaign linked here.
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