Kingston Dentist Discusses His Murder Trial on 48 Hours

The Kingston dentist who stood trial for the murder of his best friend and lover’s husband spoke publicly for the first time in a recent episode of 48 Hours about the ordeal.

Gilberto Nunez was found not guilty last year for the murder of Thomas Kolman, who died under mysterious circumstances in 2011. Kolman was discovered dead in his car outside of a gym in Kingston. Health reports revealed that Kolman had an enlarged heart, mild obesity, and sleep apnea, which together could have caused a natural death.

Later toxicology reports revealed that Kolman had traces of midazolam, a sedative used in dentistry, in his system. Half of adults visit the dentist every six months, but there was no explainable reason as to why Kolman might have taken midazolam — too much of which could be lethal.

As a dentist, Nunez was immediately suspected. But he insisted that midazolam was never used in his practice, and detectives could find no fingerprints linking Nunez to the scene. Video surveillance did reveal a white SUV of the same make and model as Nunez’s car driving in the parking lot, but police could not confirm that it was actually his.

To complicate matters, Nunez had been having a romantic affair with Kolman’s wife, Linda, for nearly a year leading up to his death. Nunez told 48 Hours that Kolman not only knew about the affair, but gave his consent. Evidence from text messages between the two men reveal little more than a strong friendship.

“I did a lot of stupid things in the relationship. That doesn’t make me a murderer,” Nunez told Richard Schlesinger of 48 Hours. “Because Tom was my best friend, truly. He was like a brother to me.”

It took police detectives more than four years to mount enough evidence to arrest Nunez for suspected murder. The three-week trial found him not guilty of murder — but guilty of forging CIA documents uncovered during the investigations.

Nunez still awaits sentencing for the forgery charges, which could face a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.