Joshua Gilbreath trial: Prosecution rests its case; defense team builds 'insanity defense'

Joshua Gilbreath murder trial day 3

Prosecutors have rested their case against a man charged with murdering a Williamson County grandmother. Joshua Gilbreath is accused of shooting and killing Diana Pier two years ago near Florence.

FLORENCE, Texas - Police body cam video of the arrest of Joshua Gilbreath in March 2023 was introduced by defense attorneys on Thursday in the Joshua Gilbreath murder trial.

The video showed Gilbreath without a shirt on, at a Pflugerville bar, clearly agitated. It was the beginning of what appeared to be Gilbreath’s defense team building an insanity defense.

The strategy was anticipated by prosecutors, according to Williamson County DA Shawn Dick.

Joshua Gilbreath murder trial day 2

The murder trial for a man accused of shooting and killing an elderly Florence woman in 2022 continued on Wednesday.

"We do have our expert, so if they bring an expert to trial, we plan to call our expert as well," said District Attorney Dick.

Gilbreth is accused of shooting Diana Pier in 2022. Her body was found on a county road near Florence.

Investigators believe Pier was shot only because she saw Gilbreath pulled over, and she was checking on him.

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Earlier in the week, the jury saw another video clip where Gilbreath told a friend he was getting fired from his job. That friend told the jury Gilbreath was upset.

The arrest in 2023, at the same bar, happened after Gilbreath bonded out of jail. Police had been asked to remove Gilbreath because he was being disruptive.

As he was led out, Gilbreath shouted "god is black" several times, and appeared to spit at the officers. Defense attorneys questioned the arresting officers as to why a mental health report wasn’t written after Gilbreath was taken to jail.

Joshua Gilbreath murder trial day 1

The murder trial for a man accused of shooting and killing an elderly Florence woman has begun.

District Attorney Dick said the scene caused by Gilbreath could have been an act.

"It’s always a possibility, I think it’s one that prosecutors are going to explore," said Dick.

Addressing his mental state resulted in the trial being delayed, but he was later determined to be competent to stand trial.

Dick said there is a lot of information that will come out in the next couple of days in trial, and he is confident Gilbreath was not insane.

"Absolutely. We believe in our case and our prosecutors are doing a really good job in putting this case together. This is a murder. And at the end of the day, Mr. Gilbreath should be held accountable for the murder of Mrs. Pier," said Dick.