Mother of 5-year-old found dead inside suitcase arraigned in Southern Indiana
Dejaune Ludie Anderson, mother of the 5-year-old boy who was found dead inside a suitcase in Southern Indiana in April 2022, announced plans to represent herself in her pending murder trial at her arraignment Tuesday. At the same time, she also claimed that she was under surveillance by the U.S. Space Force and the National Security Agency for several months leading up to her capture by U.S. Marshals last month.
She was arraigned in Washington Circuit Court on multiple felony charges, including murder.
While Judge Larry Medlock asked Anderson to put her request for self-representation in writing, he said he would also ask a member of the Public Defender's Office be assigned to her case until Anderson can demonstrate she could competently act as her own defense, or if a private attorney is hired, "based on what I've just heard."
Anderson appeared in court after nearly two years on the run.
When Medlock asked for Anderson to identify herself, she replied with another name, beginning with "Princess," and said she was "representing the entity" of Anderson. She said she was not under the influence of any alcohol or substance at the hearing.
Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt asked for the bond to be set at a "very difficult, if not impractical" amount, given Anderson being able to hide from law enforcement for nearly two years since the discovery of Jordan.
On April 16, 2022, Anderson's son, Cairo Ammar Jordan, was discovered in a heavily wooded area in Washington County, Indiana, approximately 25 miles northwest of Louisville. His body was inside a suitcase with "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" painted on its shell.
"This little boy — who, for the first few weeks, we did not even know who he was — became one of ours in the community," Hunt said at a news conference after the arraignment.
During Anderson's arraignment, multiple residents of Washington County were inside the courtroom, some even wearing custom-made shirts for Jordan.
Sgt. Carey Huls of the Indiana State Police previously said Jordan died due to an electrolyte imbalance "most likely caused by gastroenteritis, which in common layman's terms would be vomiting and diarrhea. And that resulted in dehydration."
Once Jordan was identified, police announced Anderson and her friend, Dawn Elaine Coleman of Shreveport, Louisiana, were considered suspects.
Both women had published several social media posts that referred to a child as a "demon" and "an avatar playing a character" ahead of Jordan's death, according to Coleman's arrest affidavit. At one point, Anderson is alleged to have written a post that referred to writing a "book about living with a demonic child."
Fingerprints matching both Coleman and Anderson were found within the contents of the suitcase, according to an arrest affidavit for Coleman, and the posts from their Facebook accounts were obtained after a search warrant was approved. Additional posts published before Jordan's death to social media pages the pair operated showed photos of Anderson with her son as well as photos of Coleman with the Las Vegas suitcase.
Coleman was arrested in late 2022, but Anderson could not be located by law enforcement until she was arrested in March by the U.S. Marshals Service in California.
While arguing for a high bond, Hunt said Anderson is not and has not been a resident of Indiana and should be considered a flight risk.
Objecting, Anderson said she should not be considered a fugitive during that nearly two-year period, because she was under surveillance by the U.S. Space Force and the National Security Agency. After the court hearing, Washington County law enforcement said these claims were untrue.
"That is not a valid legal objection. If you want to represent yourself, you're going to have to learn the rules of evidence and the rules of procedure," Medlock said. "If you conduct yourself like this and make these types of objections, you have no chance in the world."
No bond was set and Medlock remanded Anderson back to the custody of the Washington County Sheriff's Department.
After the hearing, Huls and Hunt thanked local law enforcement for bringing Anderson back to Washington County.
When asked whether she was surprised by Anderson's behavior in court, Hunt said, "I'll let those statements and videos speak for themselves."
Law enforcement and the prosecutor's office declined to give any details of Anderson's capture or upcoming litigation moves in court.
In November, Coleman pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit murder in relation to Jordan's death and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Coleman will serve 25 years, with five years suspended to probation per the terms of her plea agreement.
Hunt declined to answer whether Coleman would be called to testify during Anderson's trial.
A pretrial conference has been set for April 25 at 9 a.m. Anderson's trial date has been scheduled for August 6.
Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Dejuane Anderson appears in court on murder charges in Cairo Jordan's death
