An Arkansas man accused of shooting his 6-year-old daughter in the head has pleaded guilty and will spend the next several decades in prison.
Jordan Chadick, 45, was initially charged with the first-degree murder of his 6-year-old daughter, who died from a gunshot wound on May 29, 2023.
According to court documents obtained by KATV, a local ABC affiliate, the shooting appeared to be an accident, as Jordan Chadick stated to police during interviews at the time. However, as police investigated the shooting further, they discovered that Jordan Chadick had a history of violence, alcoholism, and drug use, raising concerns about his initial account of what happened.
According to the probable cause affidavit, police arrived at the scene and discovered Jordan Chadick and his wife Melissa Chadick holding their daughter, who was “lifeless” and “covered in blood.” Jordan Chadick allegedly told police that he had been putting his daughter to bed and had “got his gun that he uses to protect his family.” When asked how his daughter was shot, he said, “I don’t know what happened.”
The Glock was found on the living room table and confiscated as evidence.
The day after the shooting, police interviewed Melissa Chadick’s sister, Michelle Merriott, who told them she overheard Jordan Chadick tell her sister, “We’ve got to get our stories straight.” She also told police that the couple had a fight earlier that day, and Melissa Chadick had asked her husband to leave her home, which he refused. He eventually left, but the day’s events were about to turn tragic.
Melissa Chadick was on the phone with Michelle Merriott as she arrived at her estranged husband’s apartment. Michelle Merriott told police that she overheard Jordan Chadick saying to his wife, “Get ready, get ready,” before Melissa Chadick saw her daughter’s lifeless body and screamed.
Michelle Merriott and her husband, Todd Merriott, also arrived at the scene and informed police that they detected alcohol on Jordan Chadick’s breath.
Jordan Chadick also stated to Todd Merriott that the “gun hit my hip.” Todd Merriott detected alcohol on Jordan Chadick’s breath and informed police that he suspected he was also using methamphetamine.
According to court documents, several other witnesses close to the estranged couple told police that Jordan Chadick had a history of methamphetamine and alcohol abuse, and that even when he was “drunk or high, he always had a gun in his hand.” One witness told police that he had “put a gun to Melissa’s head.”
Jordan Chadick’s neighbor, who went to the scene after hearing him scream, said he told her, “My daughter’s dead, what have I done?” He also allegedly instructed another neighbor to “call his wife” and say, “I just killed our daughter.”
When police interviewed Jordan Chadick, he allegedly provided “different versions of the events and circumstances” that led to his daughter’s death. Cellphone evidence also revealed that he made three calls immediately after the shooting, none of which were to 911 or emergency personnel.
Jordan Chadick was arrested on August 1, 2023 and charged with first-degree murder. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 30-year prison sentence.