The man responsible for murdering three people, sending a shiver of fear through Levittown and the cancellation of one of the most popular events in Bucks County – the Levittown St. Patrick’s Day Parade, will never walk among free people ever again.
Andre Gordon on Wednesday pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in Bucks County Court and was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. The sentence also includes an additional 156 ½ to 313 years in state prison for the murderous rampage he went on March 16, 2024, in Falls Township.
Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn announced Gordon’s pleading at the Justice Center in Doylestown even though she had filed to seek the ultimate penalty for Gordon, death, last year.
Beyond the three counts of murder, Gordon’s guilty plea encompassed a litany of violent acts that terrorized families and shook the peace of Falls Township: attempted homicide, burglary, aggravated assault, robbery of a motor vehicle, robbery, unlawful restraint, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, theft by unlawful taking, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person, a spokesperson for the DA’s office said.
The lives stolen that horrific morning were those of his 13-year-old sister, a young life brimming with potential; his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, an Army veteran who died shielding her daughter and herself from danger; and 25-year-old Taylor Daniel, the loving mother of his two now motherless children.
The plea followed detailed talks with the family. During the sentencing hearing before President Judge Raymond F. McHugh, the prosecution presented a powerful video compilation that included harrowing 911 calls from both shooting locations, body camera and surveillance footage depicting the crime scenes, and a heartbreaking interview with one of Taylor Daniel’s daughters conducted at the Bucks County Child Advocacy Center, said Schorn.
There are no words to explain why this happened,” and that he could “feel the pain,” said McHugh during the sentencing hearing.
Gordon’s rampage on the morning of March 16 started at just before 9 am with Falls Twp Police putting a shelter in place order out to area residents while the hunt for Gordon went on with many of which were out running weekend errands and or making their way to New Falls Road for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Falls
Falls Township Police responded to a report of a shooting on the unit block of Viewpoint Lane, Levittown. Investigations revealed that Gordon arrived in a stolen vehicle carjacked in Trenton, New Jersey, and forcibly entered the residence of his father. Doorbell camera footage showed Gordon confronting his father before violently breaking into the home. Once inside, Gordon started hunting the residents. Karen Gordon and her daughter sought refuge in a converted office where Karen made a desperate 911 call. The recording captured her pleas, “My stepson, he’s the one shooting. Please I’ve got children in here!” The 911 call also captured her daughter, repeatedly screaming “please, please, please, please hurry.” This was followed by screams, gunshots, and then silence. Police found Karen and her 13-year-old daughter deceased upon arrival. Gordon’s father and Karen Gordon’s other teenage daughter along with a visiting relative were unharmed, said investigators in court papers.
The terror continued moments later on Edgewood Lane, where Gordon forced his way into Taylor Daniel’s home at 9:01 a.m. and fatally shot her. A harrowing 911 call from Taylor Daniel captured her urging others in the house to lock themselves in their rooms, screaming, “He’s got a gun!” This call also ended with screams, gunshots, and subsequent silence, followed by the cries of children, one calling for “mommy.” Present in the home were Daniel’s 5-year-old and 3-year-old daughters, her brother, and her mother, Nancy Daniel. Nancy Daniel was injured when Gordon bludgeoned her with an assault rifle as she tried to intervene, requiring staples for a head wound, according to police.
Schorn commended the bravery of Karen Gordon and Taylor Daniel for their heroic efforts to protect the children present during the attacks.
Following the Edgewood Lane shooting, Gordon carjacked a 44-year-old man in the parking lot of a Dollar General in Morrisville. He was not injured. During a preliminary hearing, the carjacking victim identified the weapon used as a privately manufactured firearm, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.” A three-hour shelter-in-place order was issued until Gordon was located in New Jersey. The stolen vehicle was found unoccupied in Trenton at approximately 11:38 a.m. By 12:22 p.m., authorities learned Gordon was barricaded with hostages in a residence on Phillips Street. He was apprehended at 5 p.m., a few blocks away. He was later extradited to Bucks County. In a separate case, Gordon also pleaded guilty to assaulting corrections officers at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in May 2024. He received a sentence of 42 months to 84 months in state prison for these assaults,which will run concurrently with his sentence in the triple murder case.
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