A McDonald County jury convicted Connie Sanders-Ford, 70, of first degree murder after she rejected a plea bargain offer from the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney's office, which would have sentenced her to 25 years in exchange for a plea to second degree murder, and rolled the dice at trial.
That decision did not work out well for the Fairview woman, who was convicted and then sentenced July 5, 2016 to life without the possibility of parole for the March 30, 2015 murder of John Jordan, 58, Granby.
In her appeal, Sanders-Ford said her lawyer, Duane Cooper, had told her that she would have to serve 85 percent of the 25 years, when she actually might have served as little as 40 percent of her sentenced because of a state law exception for older offenders.
As it turned out neither Cooper, nor the prosecutor was aware of that exception, but as the appellate decision noted, the trial judge, Tim Perigo, would certainly have let them know and it was likely the Newton County Prosecuting Attorney would have required the 85 percent as part of any plea arrangement.
Sanders-Ford's crime was described in an earlier appeal, which the Southern District Court of Appeals rejected September 25, 2017. In that appeal, Sanders-Ford argued that she should have been charged with second degree murder because hers was a crime of passion and that the prosecution had not proven that she deliberated before she shot and killed Jordan.
The appellate court disagreed.
Victim’s wife was fixing supper at home when Defendant walked in, introduced herself, said she and Victim had “been having an affair for over a year” and “I’m here to tell you so that he can leave you,” called Victim’s wife “pathetic,” then spent the next month trying to break up the marriage:
• Defendant repeatedly returned to Victim’s home to make trouble. Once the police had to be called to get her to leave.
• Defendant stalked Victim’s wife at her job, her home, and on the streets. Victim’s wife drove to the sheriff’s office on one occasion and Defendant followed her inside.
• Defendant offered Victim’s adult son a financial incentive to convince Victim to abandon the marriage. When the son refused and told Defendant to leave them alone, Defendant threatened to shoot Victim and herself.
• Defendant went to the son’s house, argued with Victim, and pulled a gun, which Victim took away from her.
• Defendant threatened to “destroy” Victim’s family by telling the whole town about the affair, then went to the local newspaper and angrily demanded that a story be written about Victim.
• While Victim’s wife was at the courthouse seeking an order of protection, Defendant approached and handed her a purported “love contract” between Defendant and Victim.
• Defendant called Victim and threatened to shoot herself because he would not leave his wife. Victim then heard a gunshot, hung up, and called 911. Police found Defendant at the cemetery, lying near grave plots owned by Victim and his wife. Meanwhile, Victim sought to sever financial ties with Defendant, then he, his wife, and his son all obtained ex parte orders of protection against her. Later that day, Defendant confronted Victim at his son’s house and threatened to shoot Victim and his son unless the orders of protection were dropped.
Two days before the hearing date on full orders of protection against Defendant, she shot Victim in the chest at the front door to his home. As he succumbed, Defendant fled to a friend’s house, confessed what she had done, and sought to call an attorney.
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