Summer House's West Wilson's Grandmother Murdered Before Show's Season 10 Reunion
It's been a rough couple of months for Summer House's West Wilson. The embattled reality TV star has found himself at the center of a controversial romance that grabbed headlines at the end of March of this year, and the controversy shows no signs of going away anytime soon, given that the scandal involves several of his co-stars, and the Summer House Season 10 reunion has yet to air.
But speaking of the reunion, news has broken that Wilson's family was dealt a devastating blow just a day before the reunion filmed in New York City. His 75-year-old step-grandmother, Gayle R. Wilson, was found dead in her home on the night of April 22. Making matters worse, it's West Wilson's cousin, Dakota Sweeney, who has been arrested for the crime.
Dakota Sweeney Charged with Murdering Gayle R. Wilson
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, around 10:25 pm on Wednesday, April 22, Carroll County law enforcement in Missouri responded to a shooting in the 100 block of West 14th Street. Once at the scene, a deputy with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office located the deceased body of Gayle in the residence. A witness identified Sweeney as the suspect, and he was taken into custody, charged with Murder - 1st Degree and Armed Criminal Action.
TMZ further reports that according to a probable cause statement, a witness claims Sweeney and Gayle were sitting in a room for roughly 30 minutes before he "allegedly shot her with a handgun." Sweeney has pleaded not guilty in court to the crime.
Now, those who pay close attention to the "Bravoverse" know that the cast of Summer House was in New York on April 23 filming the Season 10 reunion, and this includes West. At this time, we can't say whether or not he was made aware of the murder of his step-grandmother before the reunion taping started.
EXCLUSIVE: "Summer House" West Wilson's cousin has been charged with murdering their step-grandmother.
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 29, 2026
Details: https://t.co/Ng1chdcjZqpic.twitter.com/bDZLLq5K4z
West Wilson and Amanda Batula Scandal Still Looms
The devastating news of his step-grandmother, of course, comes at a bad time for West. In March, news broke that he was involved in an affair with his Summer House co-star Amanda Batula, who was married to their fellow co-star Kyle Cooke. Further complicating all of this was the fact that Wilson is the ex of Ciara Miller, who was close friends with Batula, and is also on the show. So to say show fans and beyond haven't been that kind to him is an understatement.
As more information becomes available on the Sweeney and Gayle Wilson case, we can pass along the updates.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 5:01 PM.