In the quiet community of Siam, just outside of Elizabethton, Tennessee, a domestic argument on a Sunday morning in December escalated into a fatal shooting that claimed the life of 58-year-old Andrew Gilbertson. On December 4, 2022, deputies from the Carter County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call from a residence on Countryside Drive, where they found Gilbertson suffering from three gunshot wounds. The caller, 69-year-old Cynthia Ellis, who lived with Gilbertson, was waiting outside the home and was immediately taken into custody. Gilbertson was transported for medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries while en route to the hospital.
The events leading up to the shooting began with a verbal altercation between Ellis and Gilbertson. According to investigators, Ellis stated that the argument started when she asked Gilbertson to move from in front of the kitchen stove as she was trying to make breakfast. The disagreement reportedly continued into the bedroom, where Ellis retrieved a handgun. She told investigators that she shot Gilbertson twice in the bedroom and then followed him to the kitchen, where she shot him a third time before calling 911.
Cynthia Ellis was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Gilbertson's death. Her case proceeded through the legal system, and in January 2025, a jury found her not guilty of the charges after a two-day trial. During the trial, Ellis maintained that Gilbertson had reached for her when she fired the shots. The defense and prosecution presented their closing arguments before the jury delivered the not guilty verdict.
