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Millionaire Mum Jailed For Killing Autistic Son

Millionaire Mum Jailed For Killing Autistic Son

A multi-millionaire who fatally drugged her disabled child in a luxury New York City hotel has been jailed for 18 years.

Gigi Jordan, a nurse-turned-pharmaceutical-entrepreneur, claimed her son Jude Mirra had been sexually abused for years by his biological father.

She argued she killed the boy in February 2010 to keep him safe from her ex-husband who was planning to kill her and take her money, leaving Jude defenceless.

She then said she tried to kill herself.

But Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Charles Solomon dismissed the notion that her nearly mute, autistic child was repeatedly abused.

"All of her money, all of her resources, she decided to kill him," he said. "There were so many things she could have done."

Though charged with murder, a jury in November found her guilty of a lesser manslaughter charge.

The jury decided she was under "extreme emotional disturbance" when she gave Jude the fatal dose of Ambien and Xanax.

Mr Solomon also said he did not believe her suicide attempt was genuine.

The judge also admonished her for giving an interview to the Dr Phil Show while the jury was deliberating.

Jordan, 54, has spent the past five years jailed on Rikers Island, time that will count toward her prison term.

Prosecutors had sought a 25-year sentence.

Her attorneys said they were disappointed in the lengthy prison term.

Jordan never pursued a plea deal because she wanted to take the stand to tell her story.

Before she was sentenced Jordan was in tears.

She detailed reports describing her son's various medical conditions that she believed pointed to sexual abuse.

The 54-year-old, estimated to be worth $40m (£25m), left her career to find treatment for her son and visited medical experts at universities across the country.

Prosecutors argued the killing was intentional and carried out because Jordan could no longer care for the needs of her son.

In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. praised the sentence.

"The poisoning and killing of an eight-year-old boy is a premeditated act of child abuse," he said.