Family of woman killed in 2022 home invasion wants death penalty for accused killer
The family of a former state lawmaker’s daughter who was killed in a deadly Madison County home invasion in 2022 is calling for the man accused of killing her to face the death penalty.
Shannon Gilday, 25, is facing charges of murder, assault, three counts of attempted murder, burglary and criminal mischief for the incident, which resulted in the death of Jordan Morgan, a 32-year-old lawyer and daughter of former state lawmaker C. Wesley Morgan, while she was asleep in her bed.
Gilday has a trial set for next May, in which the state is considering the death penalty as a sentencing option, according to court records.
At a court hearing on Friday, Judge Cole Adams Maier scheduled testimony about Gilday’s mental health to be presented on January 27. Following the hearing, family and friends of Morgan’s said they intend to keep pursuing the death penalty as sentencing.
Lisa Foster, Morgan’s mother, said it’s difficult to keep pushing for justice while grieving, but that she believes the death penalty is appropriate.
“The heartache and the pain is the thing that you feel constantly, and then when you have to come to court to try to defend your dead daughter and ask for something like the death penalty, which is what I’m asking for, it’s really hard,” Foster said.
Foster and Morgan’s friend Mica Sims said they don’t know that the trial will bring closure as they continue to grieve, but hope it brings justice. Sims said “justice for Jordan would be a life for a life,” and nearly three years after Morgan’s death, that is what they hope for.
“I think we are ready to get this part behind us,” Sims said. “I don’t think that there will be any closure.”
Foster remembered Morgan as “a really good person,” who was always laughing and willing to help others.
“My life stopped on February 22, 2022, so to me, it seems like yesterday,” Foster said. “Whether I’m getting up and surviving through the day, surviving through the holidays or standing in a court room, I’m defending my daughter every day.”
What happened in the home invasion?
The shooting and home invasion occurred on Feb. 22, 2022, when Gilday allegedly broke into the multi-million dollar home of Wesley Morgan on Willis Branch Road in Richmond. Gilday is accused of shooting and killing Jordan Morgan, and exchanged shots with Wesley Morgan, who fired back. Wesley Morgan was injured and sent to the hospital.
After the shooting, Gilday drove away and made it to Florida, according to court records, putting a Georgia license plate on his car, which broke down near Atlanta. He abandoned the vehicle and wound up back in Kentucky, where a sheriff’s deputy found him walking in Madison County six days after the shooting.
Several weeks later, Gilday admitted to the crime, saying he was attempting to get to a bunker underneath the home and was willing to kill everyone inside, Kentucky State Police detective Cameron Allen said. Gilday had done extensive research on the bunker, taking notes about the home, the family’s sleep schedules and directions from his apartment in northern Kentucky.
Since being arrested, Gilday has undergone three psychological evaluations by doctors, two of which concluded he had schizoaffective disorder. The third doctor said he needed additional information before a specific diagnosis, but agreed that Gilday has “a psychotic disorder,” according to court documents. All three doctors agreed that Gilday was showing symptoms of paranoia, hallucinations and delusions, which subsided when he was treated with anti-psychotic medication while in custody.
Because of these diagnoses, Gilday’s lawyer filed a motion to remove the death penalty as a sentencing option.
Herald-Leader reporter Taylor Six contributed to this story.