Millionaire pharma exec, 62, convicted of killing her eight-year-old autistic son committed suicide by putting plastic bag over her head and filling it with nitrogen gas, medical examiner finds
- Gigi Jordan 62, who was convicted of killing her eight-year-old autistic son, had committed suicide by putting a plastic bag filled with nitrogen gas over her head
- The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner made the determination on Wednesday, a week after she was found dead inside her Brooklyn apartment
- Her death comes nearly 13 years after she was accused of killing her son through a lethal dose of pills, which was followed by a failed suicide attempt
- Her conviction was overturned in 2020 due to a procedural error, but the Supreme Court was set to send her back to jail hours before her suicide
The millionaire pharmaceutical executive convicted of killing her eight-year-old autistic son was found to have killed herself using a bag filled with nitrogen gas.
Gigi Jordan, 62, was found dead inside her Brooklyn apartment on December 30, just hours after Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor issued an order that was expected to send her back to prison when she was free on bail.
The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner released a statement Wednesday that her cause of death was: ‘Asphyxia by covering of head with plastic bag and displacement of oxygen by nitrogen gas.’
Her suicide comes nearly 13 years after she was accused of giving her son, Jude Mirra, a lethal dose of pills inside their high-end Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Avenue where she then attempted to take her own life.
Millionaire Gigi Jordan (right), who was convicted of killing her eight-year-old autistic son Jude (left), had committed suicide by putting a plastic bag filled with nitrogen gas over her head, according to a report from the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner
Her death comes nearly 13 years after she was accused of killing Jude through a lethal dose of pills. Her conviction was overturned in 2020 due to a procedural error
During her six-week trial, Jordan’s defense team argued that she killed the boy while in a state of extreme emotional disturbance, fearing that he would be murdered by her ex-husband.
Jordan testified at her trial that she also took pills to kill herself but the suicide attempt failed.
‘I didn’t see any way out of this situation,’ she said during the trial. ‘I made a decision that I was going to end my life and Jude’s life.’
Jordan was acquitted of the top murder charge but was found guilty of manslaughter in 2014.
She was sentenced in 2015 to 18 years in prison, but her manslaughter conviction was overturned in 2020 due to a procedural error.
Jordan said that she killed the boy because she feared that he would be murdered by her ex-husband. She tried to kill herself shortly afterwards
A gurney carrying Jude Mirra’s body is seen being wheeled out of the hotel in February 2010
In 2020, a federal judge placed her under home confinement on a $250,000 bond
Following the judge’s ruling overturning Jordan’s conviction, then Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said he ‘strenuously disagreed’ with the decision and intended to immediately appeal the decision to Manhattan federal appeals judges.
Under the conditions of her release, Jordan was also required to post a $250,000 bond, remain in New York City under electronic monitoring, commit no further crimes and avoid coming in contact with illicit drugs or firearms.
Last week, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an order reversing the previous decision that allowed Jordan to remain free on bail while the high court considered her appeal.
Norman Siegel, one of Jordan’s attorneys, told NBC that his client had been in good spirits when he spoke to her over the phone hours before her suicide.
He said her death was ‘unbelievably sad’ given that Jordan ‘had a lot still to contribute to society.’
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the 24hr National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741; or chat with someone online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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