Closing Arguments Made In Gigi Jordan Murder Trial
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A former pharmaceutical executive killed her 8-year-old autistic son to spare him from a life of abuse, the woman's defense attorney said in closing arguments to her trial Monday.
Gigi Jordan admitted on the witness stand earlier this month that she gave Jude Mirra a fatal dose of prescription drugs in February 2010 at the Peninsula Hotel in Midtown.
Jordan's lawyers say she was convinced her mob-connected ex-husband was going to kill her, leaving the child's biological father -- who she claims sexually abused the boy -- to care for him. In her mind, her son would be better off dead, her lawyers said.
Closing Arguments Begin In Gigi Jordan Murder Trial
Defense attorney Allan Brenner told jurors Monday that there was no murderous intent when Jordan killed the boy, saying she acted as a result of "extreme emotional disturbance."
The defense tactic requires proof that Jordan believed her son had been sexually abused by his father.
Despite that Jude was nonverbal, Jordan testified that the boy learned to communicate with her by typing on a laptop computer and BlackBerry. That was how, she said, he told her about abuse he endured with bizarre satanic elements – from being forced to drink blood and kill animals to being zapped with electricity.
The boy also typed a message saying he wanted to die, Jordan testified.
Prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos argued that for jurors to accept Jordan's defense they would have to believe that Jude, at age 6, began typing comments such as "I want to aggressively punish God" while describing the alleged sexual abuse.
Bodganos said all his years in law school led him to one question: "Are you kidding me?"
Jude's father denies the allegations of abuse and has never been charged. Jordan's ex-husband has denied all her allegations and has sued her for slander.
Trained as a nurse, Jordan went on to launch companies that administer drugs to patients in their home. After making an estimated $40 million, she left her career to travel the country seeking medical answers for her son.
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