TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – A man charged in the shooting deaths of three family members in Pennsylvania and related carjacking and weapons charges in New Jersey will be held pending the proceeding of his case. A judge issued the ruling Wednesday.
Andre Gordon Jr., 26, appeared via video from the Mercer County Jail for his first court appearance on the New Jersey charges. Ms. Gordon did not enter a plea and waived her right to object to pretrial detention.
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Superior Court Judge Robert W. Bingham II ruled that Mr. Gordon will remain in custody pending trial and scheduled an extradition hearing for April 3. Gordon’s public defender, Nicole Carlo, said she plans to agree to extradition to Pennsylvania to face charges in Bucks County.
Police surround a home in Trenton, New Jersey, Saturday, March 16, 2024. A suspect barricaded himself in a house and took hostages after shooting three people in a Philadelphia suburb. Andre Gordon Jr. is accused of shooting and killing three of his relatives in Pennsylvania, carjacking another, and evading police for hours in New Jersey, and is facing weapons charges in New Jersey. He is scheduled to appear in court. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A message seeking comment on Gordon’s behalf was left at Carlo’s office.
Authorities said Gordon carjacked the car in Trenton, New Jersey, on March 16, then drove to Levittown, Falls Township, Pennsylvania, where he killed his stepmother and sister. He then drove to a vacation home in Levittown and killed the mother of his two children, authorities said. He is also accused of hitting and injuring the children’s grandmother with a rifle.
Authorities say Gordon shot and killed his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon. his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon; and 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, a mother of two. Authorities said Gordon’s children were also present when he shot and killed their mother.
Authorities said Gordon then carjacked a second car in Morrisville and returned to Trenton. Police surrounded the house for hours, believing Mr Gordon was there, but he appears to have slipped out before a cordon was erected. He was found walking down the street several blocks away and arrested without a weapon.
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The unrest caused the cancellation of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and the closure of a Sesame Street-themed amusement park and many other businesses. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for several hours.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attack.
