Bucks County prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the man who they say killed three of his relatives

Andre Gordon Jr., who police say killed three of his family members last month and threw a quiet Bucks County community into a panic, should face the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Gordon, 26, mumbled “pray to God” as he was led in handcuffs and shackles into the Falls Township courtroom of Magisterial District Judge John Galloway on Wednesday afternoon.

He was charged with three counts of first- and second-degree murder, as well as burglary, robbery, and related crimes for allegedly killing his stepmother, sister, and the mother of his children on March 16. He was denied bail.

Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn asked Galloway to bar Gordon from contacting eight members of his family who witnessed the killings, including his daughters, 3 and 5, and his 14-year-old sister who Schorn said survived the attack by hiding under a pile of clothes in her closet.

After the brief hearing, Schorn said her heart goes out to the family amid the horror of what occurred.

“These family members are remarkable people,” she said. “What they have endured is unimaginable, and they’re anxious to get this prosecution on the way.”

On the morning of March 16, authorities said, Gordon carjacked a woman in Trenton and drove to his father’s home in Falls Township armed with a rifle. There, they said, he forced his way into the home and fatally shot his stepmother, Kara Gordon, 52, and his 13-year-old sister, Kera.

Moments later, he drove a few minutes away to the home of the mother of his children, Taylor Daniel, authorities said. Gordon then shot Daniel, 25, as she protected their two daughters, according to the criminal complaint for his arrest.

Gordon later carjacked a second person, authorities said, and returned to Trenton, where he was arrested after an hours-long standoff with police.

He was charged with carjacking and weapons offenses in New Jersey after his arrest, and had been held there until Wednesday’s proceedings.

He is scheduled to appear appear before Galloway for a preliminary hearing on the murder charges April 16.