Oklahoma Influencer Sara Gilson and Husband Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide

According to police, officers responded to a domestic call located on the corner of East 123rd Place North and North 130th East Avenue around 11:15 p.m. A juvenile living in the home made the call. When officers arrived, they found a man and woman dead with apparent gunshot wounds. An extended family member who has spoken with Tulsa’s News Pulse identified the couple killed as Shawn and Sara Duffey. The family member says Shawn’s legal name is Jeremiah Duffey, but goes by Shawn and Duff Daddy on TikTok. The family member says he learned Shawn broke into the home, killed Sara, then took his own life.

The child that was in the home was not hurt. Sara leaves behind two kids from a previous marriage and worked as a hair stylist in Owasso. Owasso police have not yet named the incident as a murder-suicide, but they say there is no ongoing threat to the public. Investigators say Gilson was shot and killed by her husband, who then turned the gun on himself.

The Viral TikTok Video and the Netflix Documentary Trend

Sara Gilson TikTok Video and Netflix Documentary Trend

In the weeks leading up to the tragedy, Sara Gilson posted a video to TikTok that quickly drew national attention. One of Sara Gilson’s final posts on TikTok starts with an empty chair in front of a blank wall. As she walks into frame and sits down, the 43-year-old mother is visibly nervous, hands clasped and knees shaking. The text she added to the short clip is shocking, and could hint at the motive for her death less than two weeks later: Preparing for when Netflix drops a documentary about my soon to be ex husband who I just found out is a pedophile.

The text references a popular social media trend in which people sit in a chair, clip on an imaginary mic, or look into the camera and pretend to start telling their story to emulate iconic moments in Netflix-style documentaries. Topics range from niche pop culture moments to personal trauma. The clip featured a current social media trend where users simulate sitting for an interview in a mock Netflix documentary about personal trauma or sensational life events. The set-up has been used for social media users to joke about numerous subjects from funny inside jokes to traumatic life events. The caption of the video read: I wish I was joking. #plottwist #netflix #documentary.

Gilson sat in front of a blank wall, visibly nervous with clasped hands and shaking knees, while onscreen text delivered a serious accusation against her soon-to-be ex-husband. Less than two weeks after she published the clip, both Gilson and Jeremiah Shawn Duffey were found dead inside her Owasso residence.

Court Filings and Protective Orders in Owasso

OSCN Protective Orders Filed by Sara Gilson Against Jeremiah Duffey

The fatal shooting followed a series of legal actions in June. According to OSCN, Sara had previously filed a protective order against Shawn back in June. Last month, Gilson was in court to explain why she wanted to extend an emergency protection order against Duffey, who was required to stay 100 yards away from his wife, forcing him out of the home, according to People. Duffey had been ordered to stay 100 yards away from his wife and was ordered out of their home when the protective order was initially filed. Gilson alleged in her application for the protection order that Duffey possessed a firearm, threatened suicide and went on the run.

Investigation and Community Response in Tulsa Suburb

Owasso Police Department Investigation on East 123rd Place North

The Owasso Police Department confirmed that on Thursday, July 23, both Gilson and her estranged husband were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds after a 11:15 p.m. 911 call to police in Owasso, a suburb of Tulsa. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that Gilson was killed by Duffey, who subsequently took his own life.