By Michael T. Baldwin
A man will spend the next two decades in state prison after he shot and killed a 23-year-old victim from the Allegany County Town of Burns in 2018. Matthew J. Gilbert of Hunt, who was age 31 at the time, was initially charged with second-degree murder
. In Allegany County Court Wednesday, Gilbert entered a plea to first-degree manslaughter. The Hon. Thomas Brown sentenced him to 20 years behind bars plus five years of post-release supervision. Assistant District Attorney Ian M. Jones was the prosecuting attorney and Gilbert was represented by the Public Defender’s Office.
The crime occurred on Monegan Road. Gilbert reportedly shot the victim with a shotgun over an apparent property dispute.
