Mugshot of Jano Gordon. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — The court is currently awaiting the results of a psychiatric evaluation ordered for a man who was arrested following a gruesome machete attack on his father.
According to court documents, on Wednesday, police were summoned to the Juan F. Luis Hospital to investigate a reported assault. Officers found a man undergoing medical treatment, and observed his bandaged right hand and a severed finger in a plastic bag nearby.
The man told them that his son, Jano Gordon, had begun to exhibit symptoms of mental disorder, and that due to his increasingly aggressive behaviors had been previously asked several times to leave the home.
At around 11:45 a.m. on August 21, the father was at home in the dining room, seated at the table. He was unaware that Gordon was also in the house since his bedroom door was closed. At one point, the older man said he heard a movement from behind him, prompting him to turn towards the sound.
He told police that he was confronted with the sight of his son swinging a machete, aimed towards his neck. The man said he instinctively raised his hands to protect his head, and the blow from the weapon severed his right thumb and sliced into his right index finger.
After striking his father with the machete, Gordon reportedly ran out of the house, jumped the wall, and fled. His father retrieved the severed digit and placed it on ice, after which he called a friend for a ride to the hospital.
Police say a conversation with the physician who treated the injured man revealed that due to the severity of the injury, his thumb would not be able to be re-attached.
Gordon was tracked down to a service station in Estate Hogensborg, where he was arrested and charged with attempted murder, first and third-degree assault, mayhem, and carrying a dangerous weapon during a crime of violence. With bail initially set at $100,000, he was remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing.
In court on Thursday, Judge Ernest Morris found probable cause to uphold all charges against Gordon, and ruled that bail must be posted in full if he is to secure his release ahead of trial. He also ordered that a psychiatric examination and evaluation be performed on Gordon “in order to initiate the involuntary commitment process,” which he says must be completed before the end of the day on Friday. The evaluation will assist the judge to determine whether Gordon is capable of standing trial, requires involuntary commitment, or some other intervention.
His next court appearance has been scheduled for September 11.
Advertisements
