Erin Gilbert stabbed to death inside her Sydney unit was suffering immense rental stress
Woman found stabbed to death in her unit suffered massive rent stress before grisly murder and was on the verge of eviction – as the manhunt for the killer continues
- Woman was murdered on Easter Sunday
- She was about to be evicted
A woman brutally murdered on Easter Sunday was thousands of dollars in debt and about to be evicted from her home in western Sydney.
Erin Gilbert’s money and housing problems have been exposed in court documents detailing her legal battle with two landlords.
The 42-year-old woman was found dead just before noon during a gruesome and gory scene in her apartment. There is no suggestion that Mrs. Gilbert’s financial problems were related to her death.
It is understood that her husband Nicholas Gilbert found her body on a bed in the house they shared.
Erin Gilbert (pictured) was found dead in her Merrylands apartment on Easter Sunday
Court documents show that Ms. Gilbert was having money problems at the time of her death
He told 9 News that his wife appeared to be choking on blood when he found her lying on her back in the bedroom.
The 38-year-old said he tried to resuscitate Ms. Gilbert and resuscitate her, but she was already dead.
He was questioned by police and released without charge.
Police confirmed the couple only moved to the area about seven months ago, but court documents show it was long enough for the Gilberts to become embroiled in two legal battles over housing.
The documents show that the couple fought with their previous and current landlords over thousands of dollars in unpaid rent.
Two court orders from the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal direct the Gilberts to pay more than $8,850 in back rent to their landlords.
Mrs. Gilbert and her husband Nicholas had to pay back thousands of dollars in rent
In October, the couple were evicted from their home on Victoria Rd in Parramatta after breaching their lease by failing to pay more than $7,780 in rent.
Just a few months later, the Gilberts were ordered to pay back rent of more than $1060 on their current Merrylands home.
Ms. Gilbert was found dead in that apartment just days after the court order was issued.
She and her husband were on the verge of being evicted from their home in July if they failed to pay back their rent.
It is clear that bedding, a comforter and a sock were all found bloodstained at the grisly crime scene
Specialized forensic police examined the blood-spattered apartment on Monday, where they took swabs from the metal balcony railing and the inside of the unit’s doorway.
It is clear that bedding, a duvet and a sock were all found blood-stained at the horrific crime scene.
The group of officers, dressed in blue security suits, sealed a number of items from the home in brown evidence bags as uniformed officers watched.
One bag was marked ‘mascara found next to deceased on bed in bedroom’ and stacked against the wall of the block with at least five others.
The police have launched a massive manhunt to find Mrs. Gilbert’s killers.
Mr Gilbert told 9 News he was devastated by the loss of his ‘better half’.
“She just completed me, I miss everything about her,” he said.
“She finished my sentences when I struggled with words.”