‘You have taken a mother and a grandmother.’ Man sentenced after killing his wife in Franklin County

PRESTON — A man will be going to prison after he was sentenced on Thursday in Franklin County for killing his wife. 

Douglas James Gildemeister, 56, was arrested last year for the death of Gail Gildemeister, who was 58 at the time. Court documents said he shot and killed her, then failed to report her death for at least 12 hours. He had claimed it was self-defense. 

He entered a Franklin County courtroom dressed in a jumpsuit and shackles, accompanied by his attorneys, Craig Parrish and Don Thomas Marler. 

On the other side, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Vic Pearson was present. The courtroom was filled with Gail’s family members. They were dressed in purple, supporting the movement against domestic violence. Purple was also Gail’s favorite color. 

Read Gail’s obituary here. 

Douglas was originally charged with felony second-degree murder and felony failure to notify law enforcement of a death. He was also facing a sentencing enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon. 

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However, with a plea agreement, the original charge of second-degree murder was reduced to voluntary manslaughter and kept the charge of failure to notify law enforcement of a death. The sentencing enhancement was dismissed. 

District Judge Cody Brower addressed Douglas in court. 

“I am going to sentence you to 10 years fixed, five years indeterminate on count one. I am going to sentence you to five years fixed, five years indeterminate on count two, and will run those concurrent with one another,” Brower said.

Douglas was offered to speak to the court before victim impact statements. He stood up and made it brief. 

“I’d like to apologize to everybody: family, loved ones, friends, the community,” he said with a shaky voice. 

Gail’s daughter and son spoke highly of their mom in court. Gail had them both from a previous marriage, and Douglas is not their biological father. 

Gail’s daughter talked about how her world came crashing down when she found out about what had happened to her mother. She said the last time she had seen her was on April 30 of last year. Gail had stopped by her daughter’s home in Utah. 

“I talked to her on the phone during the drive home that day, and she was killed only hours after that,” she said. “I talked to my mom multiple times a day. It’s difficult to grasp, and I will never again be able to pick up the phone and call her.” 

She talked about how her mother’s laugh was loud and contagious and how she’d rearranged her priorities to help anyone she loved without hesitation. 
 
“My kids have lost a future with her that I know she couldn’t wait to be a part of. She loved her grandkids with everything she had,” Gail’s daughter said. 

She looked at Douglas in court and talked about how he shot her mom six times. Douglas did not look back at her. 

“What did you do for almost 12 hours before you were finally taken to the police station by someone else? I hope you are overcome with profound remorse,” she said. “I wish you could be given nothing less than a life sentence because that is what you have given me. A lifetime of missing and longing for my mom. Understanding and forgiveness will not be offered by me.”

Gail’s son also talked in court and said she was one of the greatest human beings that he had ever had the privilege to know. He was crying while reading his statement and said how Gail never stopped believing in him and taught him to be the best version of himself. 

“She was the type of mom that would drive five hours just to spend three with you,” he said. “My No. 1 supporter, my biggest cheerleader in life, is gone because of Doug.”

He talked about how Douglas and Gail’s marriage wasn’t a “happy marriage” but a marriage of control. 

“Control that started out slow and then slowly became more and more apparent over time. You are a textbook narcissist,” Gail’s son said to Douglas. “There hasn’t been a moment where you have once expressed remorse for what you did.” 

Later, Brower addressed Douglas during sentencing and said he did a terrible thing. 

“You have taken a mother and a grandmother from people who never needed her to be taken from them and people who loved her. She deserved to see her grandchildren. Those grandchildren deserve to see her,” Brower said. “There’s nothing you can do to take back your actions.”

The court was dismissed, and Douglas walked out with deputies to go to prison. 

Background

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, on May 1, 2023, a deputy met with Douglas after he requested to speak with law enforcement about a dispute that happened the previous night. 
 
Law enforcement called it a “domestic violence incident” in a previous news release. 

The deputy met with Douglas in an interview room, and Douglas said he did not do anything wrong. He said Gail pulled a gun on him and that she tried to “kill him,” court documents said. 

Idaho State Police collected evidence at the scene north of Preston, where they found Gail’s body.

ISP investigators noted several concerns with the position of the victim along with other forensic evidence that they felt did not corroborate with the suspect’s statements that Gail pulled a gun on Douglas or that it was self-defense.

Documents indicated that Douglas told witnesses an argument and the shooting took place the night before reporting the incident. It is estimated that it was reported “approximately 12 hours later.” 

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