The late influencer Sara Gilson’s ex-husband, Lyle Landers, has offered to pay for her funeral in the wake of her death in an alleged murder-suicide plot carried out by her estranged second husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey.
Landers told TMZ on Thursday, July 30, that he promised Gilson’s parents that he would give her the funeral she deserved since he is in a stable financial position. (Gilson and Landers shared two children before divorcing.)
Following Gilson’s death, Landers confirmed to the outlet that he spent his birthday on Tuesday, July 28, picking out a funeral plot for the late TikTok personality. A private ceremony is expected to be held in her honor later this week.
A GoFundMe page that was recently set up to benefit Gilson’s two children has already raised more than $33,000. (Per the fundraising page, donations will go to the children’s “immediate needs, counseling, education, funeral expenses, and other costs that arise as they begin this unimaginable journey without their mother.”)
Gilson and Duffey were found dead at ages 43 and 48, respectively, by law enforcement officials in their Owasso, Oklahoma, home on July 23. Owasso police officers responded to the residence after receiving a 911 call from “a juvenile caller advising his step-father had shot his mother.” (Police suspect the case was a murder-suicide plot orchestrated by Duffey though the investigation is ongoing.)
The shocking crime was preceded by Gilson taking out an order of protection against Duffey on the same day in June as a local mother asked for her own restraining order on behalf of her teenage daughter. The mother’s petition alleged that Duffey sexually abused her daughter while coaching her basketball team. (Duffey was being investigated for the alleged sexual abuse by Oklahoma police at the time of his death.)
Weeks after she was granted an order of protection, Gilson publicly accused Duffey of pedophilia in a July 11 TikTok video. The hairstylist took part in a TikTik trend where she pretended to be interviewed for a true-crime documentary.
“Preparing for when Netflix drops a documentary about my soon-to-be ex-husband, who I just found out is a pedophile,” she wrote over the clip, while captioning the video, “I wish I was joking.”
@mrsgilson I wish I was joking. #plottwist #netflix #documentary
While the clip has now gone viral with more than 2.3 million “likes,” Landers told TMZ on Thursday that he hopes the video is not how Gilson is remembered.
“The world sees her TikTok video and they assume that’s who she is. That’s not her. She was a mom. That’s the real her,” he insisted.
As for Duffey, his ex-wife, Stephanie Ramsay, revealed earlier this week that the alleged killer will not have a funeral because his family do not want to honor his memory. Instead, Ramsay and Duffey’s five children have chosen to have him cremated so his remains can be put in a private family funeral plot.
Details are emerging about Gilson and Duffey’s troubled marriage, including information about alleged financial and legal issues. Per The Oklahoman, Gilson previously filed a restraining order against Duffey in 2021 but it was dismissed when she did not attend a hearing.
Us obtained court documents showing that Duffey filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2024 and listed a Glock 19 pistol, valued at $450, as one of his assets at the time. He listed Sara as a codebtor and specified her monthly income as a hairstylist and influencer at just over $3,000.
Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey and Sara Gilson. Courtesy TikTok / Sara Gilson
However, Duffey allegedly told the Owasso Police Department in Oklahoma in March 2024 that his semi-automatic handgun was allegedly stolen from his car. According to a police report obtained by Us, he claimed that his “vehicle had been broken into and items [were] stolen,” including a handgun he valued at $800.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
