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KIRKWOOD — A Kirkwood woman was shot to death in her home over the weekend by an ex-boyfriend and business partner who was angry because she refused to give him money, police said.
Todd M. Wilbert, 54, of the 4500 block of Rhodes Avenue in St. Louis, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, first-degree burglary and unlawful use of a weapon.
Kirkwood police have not identified the woman, but her brother identified her as Elizabeth Gill, 59.
“She was a wonderful lady,” said her brother John Engman, 50, of Warson Woods. “She absolutely had a heart of gold.”
Elizabeth Gill was shot to death Aug. 13, 2022, in her Kirkwood home. (Photo provided by Gill's family)
Wilbert on Saturday called his ex-girlfriend and business partner several times to ask for money, charges said. At 7:30 p.m., Wilbert went to the woman’s home in the 1100 block of Ascot Lane, drank wine on her back patio until after 10 p.m. and entered her house without permission after she returned home.
Wilbert shot her twice about 10:15 p.m., charges said. One bullet hit her face, and another hit her back. She called 911 and told a dispatcher Wilbert had a gun pointed at her. A dispatcher could hear a gunshot on the call.
Police said she died in her home. Police recovered two shell casings and said Wilbert was found drunk next door and lying on a “cement pad” with a loaded gun within reach.
Wilbert told police he had asked the woman for money and waited for her on her back patio, charges said. He also asked investigators if she was still alive.
Wilbert was held without bail.
Gill was a mother of three, a former math teacher and test prep tutor who for the past several years ran an online linens business that supplied products to hotels, Engman said. She had been separated from her husband for years and had dated Wilbert only briefly but maintained a business relationship with Wilbert in which she’d pay him commissions for sales leads.
The day Wilbert shot her, Engman said, his sister had refused to float him an advance.
“He demanded more money, and that’s what this was all about,” Engman said. “It’s (expletive) ridiculous. He believed she deserved to die because of that.”
Engman said his sister was the oldest of four siblings. He said she loved live music and had been out at Hammerstone’s in Soulard the night she was killed. He said she had stopped at Schnucks near her house because her daughter had parked her car there, let her out and drove home.
Engman said Gill inherited artistic talents such as embroidery, jewelry making and scrapbooking from their mother and was known as a caretaker in the family whose positive attitude was “inspiring for everyone around her.”
She was a devoted Roman Catholic and member of the Ste. Genevieve du Bois church in Warson Woods, Engman said. She had adopted her family’s tradition of providing Bibles to relatives on their confirmations and was also known for her desserts — in particular, her Christmas yule log — and birthday cakes for children in the family.
“She gave life a big hug and said, ‘It’s going to be great,’” Engman said.
Updated at 4 p.m. with details about the victim.
Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors.
Joel Currier is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter here: @joelcurrier.
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Elizabeth Gill was shot to death Aug. 13, 2022, in her Kirkwood home. (Photo provided by Gill's family)
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