Live@Lanier to feature a true story of patricide, prison and mental illness
Published 11:55 am Monday, April 8, 2024
- Neurobiologist, family practitioner and author Benjamin Gilmer.
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TRYON—At the next Live@Lanier on Thursday, April 18, at 6 p.m., Dr. Benjamin Gilmer will share the details of his new book, “The Other Doctor Gilmer: A True Story of a Small Town Doctor Imprisoned for Murder.” The NY Time Book Review called it “mesmerizing.”
When Doctor Benjamin Gilmer joined a medical clinic in Fletcher, N.C., he learned that the previous doctor shared his last name. “The Other Dr. Gilmer,” Vince Gilmer, founder of the clinic, had been loved by his rural community until convicted for strangling his father to death.
Benjamin became obsessed with solving the mystery of what drove a good and respected physician into brutal patricide. Benjamin visited Vince in prison and found a twitching man constantly rambling off into nonsense. It was obvious to Benjamin that “The Other Dr. Gilmer” was not faking mental illness but needed professional help.
Benjamin, a neurobiologist turned family practitioner and now also an author, has lectured throughout the US about medical ethics, rural healthcare and the troubling intersection of medicine and criminal justice.
Benjamin will give deeper insights into his story of two Gilmers at Lanier Library, located at 72 Chestnut Street in Tryon For more information, call (828) 859-9535 or visit thelanierlibrary.org.