On a summer afternoon in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, the life of a 12-year-old White male named Tyler Zachary Gilbert was tragically cut short. On August 4, 2021, the young boy from Brattleboro, Vermont, was visiting his father, 47-year-old David Lent, at his home on Plain Road. What should have been a simple visit turned into a scene of unimaginable horror.
It was there that Lent fatally shot his son before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide.
Responding to a call at approximately 12:53 p.m., Hinsdale police officers arrived at the residence to find both Tyler and his father deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. A pistol was discovered next to Lent's body. A witness at the scene reported that Lent had shot his son before taking his own life. At the time of the incident, Tyler was visiting his father and grandparents.
Subsequent autopsies confirmed the grim reality of the situation. The Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Mitchell Weinberg, determined that Tyler's death was a homicide caused by gunshot wounds. Lent's death was ruled a suicide from a single gunshot wound. The investigation concluded that David Lent was the sole perpetrator in the death of his son. No arrests were made as the suspect was deceased.
