The tragic death of TikTok influencer Sara Gilson of Oklahoma has emerged as the latest crime to dominate the tabloid headlines in the US. In focus is Gilson's husband, Jeremiah Shawn Duffey, who is accused of shooting Gilson and then himself fatally.
Sara Gilson, 43, and Jeremiah Shawn Duffey, 48, were found dead by the police in Ossawa in Tulsa and Rogers counties, Oklahoma, on July 23. They responded to a 911 call from their son, who was not injured, and found both bodies. Ossawa Police Department confirmed that Jeremiah Shawn first shot Sara and then died by suicide. The cause of death for both was identified as apparent gunshot wounds, pending official autopsy results.
The case has sparked a lot of buzz, especially around the professional conduct of Jeremiah Shawn, who was a youth basketball coach. The exact circumstances of the shooting are not known but local news outlets reported on the legal troubles of Sara Gilson and Jeremiah Shawn Duffey. Many think the motive of the tragic July 23 shooting could lie in the standoff Sara and Jeremiah Shawn had in the days before the incident.
Who Was Jeremiah Shawn Duffey And Why Did He Kill Sara Gilson?
{{/usCountry}}Who Was Jeremiah Shawn Duffey And Why Did He Kill Sara Gilson?
{{/usCountry}}The murder-suicide is under investigation by the Ossawa Police Department, and very few details regarding the results of the probe have been revealed. But the details of an incident of inappropriate behavior with a high school student-athlete by Jeramiah just a month ago, and the subsequent fallout he had with Sara, has come into focus.
The Oklahoman reports that court records show Sara Gilson had sought an extension of the emergency protective order against Jeremiah Shawn Duffey. The report adds that she had sought the extension as part of two protective orders she had filed in 2021, but they expired after she failed to appear in court for the hearing.
Though a specific cause for the protective order is not mentioned in court records, the report notes that it came after the mother of a 15-year-old girl filed a protective order against Duffey. According to that filing, Jeremiah Shawn Duffey was allegedly seen fondling alone with the 15-year-old, a member of the youth basketball team Duffey coached.
The teen's mother alleged in the lawsuit that her daughter told her that Duffey stopped after a coach walked in. He also allegedly sent inappropriate messages, which included an invitation to a hotel room on a trip and offering her money to "keep quiet," the lawsuit alleged, according to The Oklahoman.
Jeremiah Shawn Duffey's Reaction
Jeremiah Shawn Duffey reacted to the series of events badly. Sara Gilson had alleged in her lawsuit that Jeremiah Shawn Duffey threatened to commit suicide, possessed firearms leading to potential threats, and briefly went missing. These actions mandated the protective order, Gilson had argued, and accordingly the judge had asked Jeremiah Shawn Duffey to stay 100 yards or more away from Sara Gilson and her family.
However, the events quickly escalated for Duffey in the days after, and resulted in the tragic shooting on Thursday in which two lives were list, including is own.