Jonathan Gordon, one of two men on trial for the 2015 murder of a Tamarac man, took the stand Thursday in a bid to convince a jury that he acted in self-defense and doesn’t deserve to be sent to prison, or worse, death row.
Gordon, 39, could be sentenced to death, along with co-defendant Richard Andres, 42, if convicted of Ivan Brandt’s murder in a trial that was delayed more than two years by the COVID pandemic. Prosecutors say the two men went to Brandt’s Tamarac home intending to rob him, but they didn’t count on Brandt fighting back. They also didn’t count on surveillance video tracking their every move, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors Alixandra Buckelew and Kristine Bradley say the defendants targeted Brandt because they thought he was wealthy and stealing from him would be lucrative. Brandt was not chosen at random — Andres was dating his ex-girlfriend, who complained that Brandt was tracking her on the internet.
According to Gordon, robbery was not the motive. The ex-girlfriend told them that her dog and a bag of her belongings were at Brandt’s home, and they were merely going to retrieve them when Brandt grabbed a paring knife and attacked them, Gordon said.
Gordon had a gun that fell to the floor, according to police reports and trial testimony. Andres picked it up.
Brandt was shot twice, once in the neck and once in the head. But three shots were fired. Prosecutors say one missed during the struggle between Brandt and the defendants. But Gordon called it a “warning shot,” fired by Andres because Brandt was attacking Gordon.
“He was trying to stab me,” said Gordon, who testified that he had held several security jobs before accompanying Andres to Brandt’s home on Feb. 5, 2015. “He still had the knife.”
“You were not expecting Mr. Brandt to fight for his life?” Buckelew asked.
“I was not expecting him to attack me,” Gordon answered.
Buckelew questioned why the men brought zip ties with them if they only planned to politely ask for the ex-girlfriends’ belongings. She also asked why Andres and Gordon did not immediately call 911 if they felt they acted in self-defense, and why they did not go to a hospital to treat their stab wounds afterward.
Gordon conceded the lapses in judgment but insisted he did nothing wrong.
“I know you look at me and accuse me of things,” he said to the prosecutor. “I am not guilty of this crime.”
Even denying guilt, Gordon apologized to the victim’s mother, sister and son, who have attended every day of the trial since it started earlier this month. They did not visibly react.
The jury’s verdict will depend on how much of Gordon’s account they are willing to believe. If a murder is committed during a burglary, under Florida law everyone participating in the burglary is responsible. Gordon could be convicted of murder even though he never shot Brandt.
Defense lawyers led by Mitch Polay, for Andres, and Michael Hursey, for Gordon, are asking the jury to find their clients acted in self-defense.
Closing arguments are scheduled for July 6.
Rafael Olmeda may be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com. Call or text him at 954-356-4457. Follow him on Twitter @rolmeda.
