Lyle Landers tells PEOPLE that the influencer, who was murdered by Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey on July 23, was “a beautiful person, inside and out”
Credit: Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Sara Gilson’s ex-husband Lyle Landers “begged” the influencer to break up with her estranged husband, Jeremiah ‘Shawn’ Duffey, before he murdered her, he tells PEOPLE exclusively
- Gilson was found dead in her Oklahoma home on July 23, weeks after she publicly accused Duffey of being a pedophile
- Landers remembered Gilson, with whom he shared two children, as “a beautiful person, inside and out”
Sara Gilson’s ex-husband “begged” the influencer to break up with her estranged husband before he murdered her.
Lyle Landers tells PEOPLE exclusively that he did not approve of Gilson’s relationship with her estranged husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey. “Shawn had been a risk for her since they got together,” he says.
“She had been stuck in a relationship where domestic abuse seemed ‘okay,’ “ Landers continues of Gilson, with whom he shared two children. “I had begged her for five years to get away from him. I had offered to help her, in any way I could, to get away from him. But he seemed to have some sort of control over her, and she couldn’t seem to get away.”
The influencer, 43, was found dead in her Oklahoma home on Thursday, July 23. Gilson was shot by Duffey, 48, who then fatally shot himself, authorities said, per KTUL.
Just weeks earlier, Gilson publicly accused Duffey of being a pedophile.
Credit: Facebook
Landers remembers his ex as “a mom, a daughter, a sister and a friend,” as well as “a beautiful person, inside and out.”
“She loved people immensely, and without judgment,” he tells PEOPLE. “Her greatest achievement in life, though, was in our two babies.”
“She was always so worried before we had kids that she wouldn’t know what to do, or that she wouldn’t be a good mom. Turns out, she was a great mom,” he continues. “She went over the top for our kids, and always made sure that they knew she loved them.”
Landers also says Gilson “took great pride” in her work as a hairdresser.
According to Landers, he and Gilson divorced about seven years ago, but they had gotten to the point where they were friends.
“It had been the best thing in the world for our kids, but also for us. We coparent as well as anyone, and it has shown in our kids,” he says.
“She was a wonderful mother and would die for her children. In fact, her trying to protect children is what ultimately led to her death,” Landers continues of Gilson.
On June 10, a woman filed a protective order against Duffey on behalf of her 15-year-old daughter, according to court documents viewed by PEOPLE.
The minor was on a youth basketball team that Duffey coached. He allegedly kissed and touched her and was caught by another coach, the mother claimed, per The Oklahoman.
The girl told her mother that Duffey engaged in additional inappropriate behavior, including sending her messages, inviting her to his hotel room during a tournament trip and offering her money “to keep her quiet.”
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Gilson previously filed two protective orders against Duffey in 2021, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE. They were dismissed because Gilson did not appear at the hearing, per The Oklahoman.
She filed for an emergency protective order against Duffey on June 10 and he was immediately ordered out of their home and to stay 100 yards away from her, court records viewed by PEOPLE show. On June 23, the protective order was extended through Aug. 24.
Gilson alleged in her application for the protective order that Duffey had a gun, threatened suicide “and went on the run,” per The Oklahoman.
Landers previously paid tribute to Gilson through a Facebook post. He wrote: “Sara was a fun, life of the party girl, who loved her kids fiercely and would fight to the death for them.”
“We did our best to always keep things comfortable and the same for our children, even though we weren’t together anymore,” he added, calling her death “unfathomable.”
Credit: GoFundMe
A GoFundMe has been established for Gilson and Landers’ two children.
“Sara was an incredible mom. Her children were the center of her world, and everything she did was for them. She loved them fiercely, worked hard to provide for them, and dreamed of giving them the best life possible,” the description reads.
“We are creating this GoFundMe to help support Sara’s children as they navigate the difficult days, months, and years ahead,” it continues.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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