Jury finds feces eating bank robber, sane

March 27, 2015

A San Luis Obispo County jury found a 40-year-old man who said the Virgin Mary ordered him to rob a bank and eat his own feces, sane and guilty of bank robbery.

In July 2013, Andrew Gilbertson disguised himself by wearing a hat and a pink child’s backpack. He then entered a San Luis Obispo Bank of America branch and handed a teller a note with a drawing of a peace sign that said “Give me the money.” A few hours later, officers arrested Gilbertson in Atascadero.

Gilbertson, who claimed the Virgin Mary chose the disguise and directed him to rob the bank, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. While testifying on Wednesday, Gilbertson put his hand into his pants, pulled out poop, and began to eat while claiming the Virgin Mary had told him to eat poop.

Deputy District Attorney Dave Pomeroy described a man seeking methamphetamine who planned out the robbery and then changed his appearance to avoid arrest.

On the day of the robbery, Gilbertson caught a ride from his parents and instructed them to park far away from the bank. He wore his hat pulled low on his face and a glove on one hand. After the robbery, Gilbertson got a haircut and shaved.

His defense attorney, Brian Buckley, argued that Gilbertson had suffered from mental illness for more than a decade, heard voices and had a history of harming himself that included blinding one eye.

Pomeroy said the poop eating was a stunt to avoid jail time.

A sentencing date for the bank robbery has not yet been set.

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