Man charged with killing 3 relatives is returned to Pennsylvania custody

charged killing
Law enforcement officers enter an empty apartment home, in Trenton, N.J., Saturday, March 16, 2024. A man suspected of killing several people in their Philadelphia-area homes was arrested in New Jersey’s capital city following a major police response, authorities said. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A man charged in the fatal shooting of three family members in Bucks County and related carjacking and weapons counts in New Jersey has been transferred to Pennsylvania, officials said Wednesday.

Andre Gordon Jr., 26, waived an extradition hearing in New Jersey on Wednesday and has been transferred to officials in Bucks County, according to prosecutors and the New Jersey court’s spokesperson.

He is set to be arraigned before a Bucks County magistrate judge later on Wednesday.

Authorities have said Gordon carjacked a vehicle in Trenton, New Jersey, on March 16 before driving to Levittown in Falls Township.

Bucks County killing
Police surround a home in Trenton, N.J., Saturday, March 16, 2024.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

There he killed his stepmother and sister, the Bucks County district attorney said. He then drove to a second home in Levittown and killed the mother of his two children, authorities said. He is also accused of injuring his children’s grandmother by bludgeoning her with a rifle.

The dead included Gordon’s 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon; his 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon; and 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the mother of his two children, the district attorney said. Authorities have said Gordon’s children were present when he shot their mother.

Gordon then carjacked a second vehicle in Morrisville and returned to Trenton, authorities said. Police surrounded a home for hours in the belief that he was there, but Gordon apparently slipped out before a cordon went up. He was arrested, unarmed, when he was spotted walking down a street a few blocks away.

killing
People look on as police surround a home in Trenton, N.J., Saturday, March 16, 2024.AP Photo/Matt Rourke

It’s unclear who Gordon’s attorney is. A message seeking comment on his behalf was left with the Bucks County public defender’s office.

The mayhem forced the cancellation of a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Bucks County and the closure of Sesame Place and a number of other businesses. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for several hours.

Officials have not released a possible motive for the attacks.