Andre Gordon Jr.: Accused Bucks County triple murder suspect held on all charges
FALLS TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Andrew Gordon Jr., a Pennsylvania man accused of going on a murderous rampage in Bucks County and fleeing to nearby Trenton, had a preliminary hearing Wednesday where he was held on all charges.
On Mar. 16, investigators say Gordon shot and killed his stepmother, 52-year-old Karen Gordon, and his sister, 13-year-old Kera Gordon, at a home on Viewpoint Lane in Falls Township. He's then accused of driving a stolen car to the home of his children's mother, 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, where he fatally shot her and assaulted her mother.
Investigators say Gordon carjacked another person in a Dollar Tree parking lot and fled to nearby Trenton where police believed he barricaded himself inside a home with hostages. The residents were safely removed from the home by members of the SWAT team, and Gordon managed to elude police.
He was eventually arrested blocks away from the Trenton home where police believed he was hiding out. An affidavit said Gordon had cut his hair during his time on the run in an effort to try to avoid police.
Gordon was charged in New Jersey with carjacking and weapons charges. It's expected that Gordon will be extradited back to Bucks County to face charges for first and second-degree murder and other charges.
His defense team asked for a continuance after Gordon refused to leave his jail cell and come to court, arguing that they had competency concerns, but the prosecution argued that it should still proceed as scheduled without him, and the judge ultimately agreed.
The prosecution called three witnesses, including a county detective. During his testimony, prosecutors played devastating 911 calls from the day Gordon is accused of the killing spree.
The first came from 52-year-old Karen Gordon, Andre’s stepmother, as she was hiding with her 13-year-old daughter Kera in their home on Viewpoint Lane. She can be heard screaming for help.
"In the final moments of Karen Gordon’s life, she knows that her daughter was fatally shot in her arms, and then she is taken moments later, I mean that’s just unimaginable," said Jen Schorn, Bucks Co. District Attorney.
The prosecution also played a call from 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of Gordon’s two daughters, who Gordon is accused of killing after his stepmother and stepsister.
In the 911 call played in the courtroom, Taylor can be heard telling her mother and children to get into their rooms. The detective testified that her daughters were hiding together under the covers of a bed. Taylor is fatally shot while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, right beside them.
"You hear the little voice saying, ‘Mommy,’ from Taylor’s daughter, it’s just heartbreaking," said Schorn. "I don’t know what’s worse, what you hear on the call, or the dead silence thereafter, it’s chilling."
The prosecution also called Gordon’s second carjacking victim to testify, who said Gordon approached him, armed, while he was putting air in the tire on his girlfriend’s car. He wasn’t physically harmed.
Taylor’s mother was the last to testify. She recounted how she struck Gordon with an ax handle after he fatally shot her daughter. She said Gordon struck back, hitting her with the barrel of a gun, before leaving the home.
"I want to commend the strength of Nancy Daniel. I mean she was a hero in this case, trying to protect her daughter, but certainly protecting her son and her grandchildren," said Schorn. "I truly think things could’ve been worse, which is so hard to comprehend because this case is so heinous."
Gordon’s defense team asked the judge to dismiss unlawful restraint charges. They did not call any witnesses or comment after the hearing.
Schorn says her office is prepared for the case to go to trial, and they will continue to pursue the death penalty.
Gordon’s next scheduled court date is June 14 for a formal arraignment.
