Attorney asks state's top court to release 'disturbing' Shannan Gilbert 911 recordings

Gilbert was found dead in the marsh in December 2011. The search for her uncovered the remains of 10 other people.

News 12 Staff

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Oct 22, 2020, 10:29 PM

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Updated 1,521 days ago

The attorney representing Shannan Gilbert's estate is calling on the state Supreme Court to allow him to release 911 recordings from the night the sex worker went missing in 2010.

Attorney John Ray says he has the recordings of a nearly 20-minute call from Gilbert to Suffolk police in his possession but is prohibited from speaking about the contents or releasing them to the public.

News briefing with attorney John Ray, click above to watch

A ruling in the case has not yet been made.

Ray says the tapes are key to finding out what happened to Gilbert, who was found dead in an Oak Beach marsh in December 2011. The search for her uncovered the remains of 10 other people. She had been missing since May 2010.

Ray says Suffolk police “have taken the position that they don’t know why Shannan died. Although, it is very clear from all the facts…that Shannan was murdered.”

“The tapes and the transcripts will be used against what the police said occurred on that fateful night,” he continued. “Those tapes are shocking. Those tapes will be very disturbing to the public.”

Gilbert's autopsy was ruled inconclusive, and the police commissioner at the time said it was possible she accidentally drowned in the marsh. Current Commissioner Geraldine Hart said earlier this year:

"She does not match the pattern of the Gilgo Beach homicides, but again...we are going to let the facts dictate where we go with this investigation."

Ray's effort to make the 911 calls public is part of his ongoing civil lawsuit against Oak Beach resident Dr. Peter Hackett, who Ray says played a role in Gilbert's death. Hackett denied to News 12 a decade ago that he saw Gilbert at all.

Hackett's attorney issued a statement to News 12 Thursday saying, "The plaintiff continues to beat a dead horse. It's time we go to trial and show the absurdity of these claims."

Ray also wants his day in court.

“There is nothing left but the obvious, and that is that this girl was murdered,” he said.

The next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 19.

The Suffolk County Police Department issued a response to News 12:

“The Suffolk County Police Department released to John Ray the recording of the 911 call made by Shannan Gilbert per a judge's order and is barred from making the recording public based upon that decision. New York State law prohibits the release of 911 calls.”