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Pharma Millionaire Who Admitted To Killing 8-Year-Old Autistic Son Found Dead After Bail Revoked
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor revoked bail a day before Gigi Jordan's death, as Jordan fought for a new trial in the case against her for killing her 8-year-old son.
A pharma millionaire who admitted to murdering her 8-year-old autistic son in 2010 was found dead early Friday morning in her Brooklyn rental home, according to New York City’s NBC 4.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor had just revoked bail for Gigi Jordan, 62, the day before, amid Jordan’s legal fight for a new trial.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to Oxygen.com Thursday that Jordan's death has been ruled a a suicide, with the specific manner being "asphyxia by covering of head with plastic bag." Officials had previously said Jordan was found dead in a bathtub with a note nearby, according to NBC 4, but her attorney said she had sounded in good spirits hours earlier when the two spoke by phone.
In 2014, the New York socialite was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for killing her son Jude Mirra in a luxury Manhattan hotel in February of 2010, by administering fatal doses of prescription medications, according to previous Oxygen.com reporting. Jordan confessed to forcing the boy, who was diagnosed with severe autism and was mostly non-verbal, to ingest a combination of vodka and medication.
She also took Xanax pills as part of a suicide attempt, and emailed her aunt, telling her what she had done. Her aunt contacted the police, who found more than 5,800 prescription pills in the hotel room suite, according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors reportedly said Jordan balanced her checkbook and transferred money out of her child’s trust fund as he lay dead.
During the trial, Jordan claimed she feared her first husband would kill her, and that her son would be given to her second husband, who she said had sexually abused the boy, according to prior Oxygen.com reporting. Both men denied the accusations.
Jordan had said she believed her son typed out the abuse allegations on a facilitated communication device, according to the Associated Press, and Jordan said her son’s death was a “mercy killing.”
Beginning in November of 2018, Jordan appealed her conviction on procedural irregularities during the trial. According to a Supreme Court brief, the judge closed the courtroom for 15 minutes for an off-the-record discussion, as the prosecutor raised concerns about media coverage of the trial. The judge reminded the jury to avoid looking at any content related to the case. The judge sealed, then unsealed, the record of the discussion, and Jordan argued this glitch had deprived her of her constitutional right to a speedy and public trial.
According to a Supreme Court petition, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York eventually granted federal habeas relief to Jordan and released her from state custody on bail during the appeal, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Court reversed the decision, and Jordan filed the emergency appeal with the Supreme Court.
On Dec. 20, 2022, Justice Sonia Sotomayor granted bail on an emergency basis, but New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a counter brief that there was “no compelling reason” to grant her the bail. In a five-line order filed on Thursday night, Justice Sotomayor sided with the state and vacated her previous Dec. 20 order. Jordan was found dead the next day.
Her attorney, Norman Siegel, confirmed Jordan's death, saying it "is unbelievably sad," according to NBC 4. Appeals were ongoing, he added, and in his view Jordan "had a lot still to contribute to society."
Additional reporting by Dorian Geiger.
