In the early hours of a September morning in 2002, John Gilbride, a 34-year-old airline employee, was found shot to death in his car in the Ryan's Run apartment complex in Maple Shade, New Jersey. A resident of the complex had noticed a car with its engine running and headlights on and alerted the police. When officers arrived, they discovered Gilbride in the driver's seat, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head and chest from an automatic weapon. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time of his death, Gilbride was embroiled in a contentious custody battle with his ex-wife over their six-year-old son. The day he was killed was the very day he was scheduled to have his first unsupervised visit with the boy. This bitter dispute had been ongoing, with his ex-wife being a member of the radical group MOVE.
The organization had publicly vowed to fight the court order granting Gilbride unsupervised visitation and had recently fortified their Philadelphia headquarters in an apparent preparation for a standoff.
Despite the intense custody dispute and the timing of his death, investigators have never officially named any suspects in the execution-style murder. The case has remained unsolved for years, a source of ongoing pain and frustration for Gilbride's family. His father has publicly stated his belief that MOVE was involved in his son's death, a claim the organization has denied. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office has maintained that the investigation is still open, but no arrests have ever been made in connection with the homicide of John Gilbride.
