'You took a mother and a grandmother.' Man convicted after killing wife in Franklin County

PRESTON – A man is headed to prison after being convicted of murdering his wife in Franklin County on Thursday.

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

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

On the other hand, Franklin County Prosecutor Vic Pearson was present. The courtroom was full of Gail's family members. They were dressed in purple and supported the movement against domestic violence. Purple was also Gail's favorite color.

Read Gail's obituary here.

Douglas was originally charged with second-degree murder and failure to notify law enforcement of a death. He also faced an increased sentence for using 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 the charge of failure to report a death to law enforcement was retained. The penalty increase was rejected.

District Judge Cody Brower addressed Douglas in court.

“In the first case, I sentence you to ten years indefinitely and five years indefinitely. I sentence you to five years indefinitely and five years indefinitely in the second case, and I will impose these sentences concurrently,” Brower said.

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

“I would like to apologize to everyone: family, relatives, friends,” he said in a trembling voice.

Gail's daughter and son praised their mother in court. Gail had both from a previous marriage and Douglas is not her biological father.

Gail's daughter told how her world collapsed when she found out what had happened to her mother. She said she last saw her on April 30 last year. Gail had stopped by her daughter's house in Utah.

“I spoke to her on the phone while driving home that day and she was killed just a few hours later,” she said. “I spoke to my mother several times a day. It’s hard to comprehend and I’ll never be able to pick up the phone and call her again.”

She talked about how loud and contagious her mother's laughter was and how she rearranged her priorities to help everyone she loved without hesitation.

“My children lost a future with her that I know they couldn’t wait to be a part of. She loved her grandchildren with everything she had,” Gail’s daughter said.

She watched Douglas in court and told how he shot her mother six times. Douglas didn't look at her.

“What were you doing for almost 12 hours before someone else finally took you to the police station? I hope you are overcome with deep remorse,” she said. “I wish you could get nothing less than a life sentence because that’s what you gave me. I have missed my mother and longed for her all my life. Understanding and forgiveness are not offered by me.”

Gail's son also spoke in court and said she was one of the greatest people he had ever met. He cried as he read his statement and said that Gail never stopped believing in him and taught him to be the best version of himself.

“She was the kind of mother who would drive five hours just to spend three with you,” he said. “My biggest supporter, my biggest cheerleader in life, is gone because of Doug.”

He talked about how Douglas and Gail's marriage was not a “happy marriage” but a marriage of control.

“The control started slowly and then became more apparent over time. “You’re a picture-perfect narcissist,” Gail’s son told Douglas. “There was never a moment where you ever expressed remorse for what you did.”

Brower later turned to Douglas during the sentencing and said he had done a terrible thing.

“You took a mother and a grandmother from people who never needed them taken away from them, and people who loved them. She deserved to see her grandchildren. These grandchildren deserve to see her,” Brower said. “There is nothing you can do to undo your actions.”

The court was dismissed and Douglas left the court along with his deputies to go to prison.

background

According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, on May 1, 2023, a deputy met with Douglas after he requested to speak to law enforcement about an argument that occurred the previous night.

Law enforcement called it a “domestic violence incident” in an earlier news release.

The deputy met with Douglas in an interview room and Douglas said he did nothing wrong. He said Gail pointed a gun at him and tried to “kill” him, court documents say.

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

ISP investigators noted several concerns about the victim's position as well as other forensic evidence that they said was inconsistent with the suspect's statements that Gail pointed a gun at Douglas or that it was in self-defense.

Documents showed Douglas told witnesses there was an argument and the shooting occurred the night before the incident was reported. It is estimated that the report came “approximately 12 hours later.”

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