More on Laren Sims Suicide Note
Maggie
Laren Sims Jordan urges suing the Florida jail where she hanged herself.
By M.S. Enkoji -- Bee Staff Writer
In a seven-page suicide note penned before she hanged herself in her Florida
jail cell, Laren Sims Jordan denigrated the husband she was accused of killing,
pleaded for the welfare of her teenage children, alluded to a possible lawsuit
against her jailers and flirted with her lawyer.
Authorities in Hernando County, Fla., on Tuesday released the letter addressed
to her attorney, Tom Hogan of Brooksville, Fla. The letter offers a revealing
look at a puzzling persona who, at times, seemed cunningly calculating yet
surprisingly maternal in her last thoughts. And though she was planning her own
death, she confessed to a longtime "crush" on Hogan, who first represented her
12 years ago on charges for financial crimes.
"You are a very special man, Tom," she wrote. "Every time I thought of you over
the years, my heart skipped a beat. Not only are you physically beautiful, you
are even more stunning on the inside."
Sims Jordan, 36, was found hanged in her cell Saturday morning and was taken to
a hospital, where she died Sunday.
She was arrested in Florida last month after fleeing California, where she was
wanted in the poisoning death of her husband, Sacramento lawyer Larry McNabney.
In February, his body was found buried in a field about 15 miles from the
couple's Lodi-area home in San Joaquin County.
Sims Jordan was being held in Florida awaiting extradition hearings that would
have brought her back to San Joaquin County to face murder charges.
She grew up in Florida and left in the early 1990s, violating probation and
heading to Nevada, where she met and married McNabney six years ago.
McNabney moved his practice to Sacramento several years ago.
"Bringing Haylei home was my chance to do something right," she said, referring
to her 17-year-old daughter, who is now with her grandparents in Brooksville.
"She has a family now."
"Will you try to make her understand that I cannot put her through having a
mother in prison for life, or worse a mother on death row? It would be unfair
for her to have to carry that burden."
Sims Jordan also has a 16-year-old son, whom she had not seen for years, until
her recent arrest, according to her attorney.
"The emotional impact on both of them will be devastating right now, but they
will come to understand the reason and logic behind it," she wrote.
"My actions now will allow them to move into the future without this heavy
burden. They won't have to watch my trial on Court TV. It should all die with
me."
Hogan said Tuesday that he was surprised by Sims Jordan's personal comments
because their contact had been limited and professional.
He had visited her only three times since her arrest, he said.
In those meetings she and Hogan began putting together a defense, although a
California attorney was expected to represent her for the murder trial.
They were planning a defense based on allegations of spousal abuse, and she
continued to provide details to Hogan in the letter. Some of McNabney's close
friends have denied the attorney was abusive.
When Sims Jordan was captured, she gave authorities a written account of how
she and an alleged accomplice, Sacramento State student Sarah Dutra, planned
and carried out the killing using a horse tranquilizer.
Dutra, 21, who is being held in a Stockton jail, is expected to be arraigned
today on charges of murder for financial gain.
If convicted, she could face the death penalty. Her attorney has said she is
not guilty of murder.
In her final notes, Sims Jordan shoulders some responsibility.
"Tom, I think we both know that it doesn't matter what kind of man Larry was,
we murdered him. Of course, I should spend the rest of my life in prison. Sarah
should, too. I wish I could change what happened, but I can't."
Though authorities believe she and Dutra pilfered $500,000 in cash from
McNabney's practice and property, there is no sign of the money.
In the letter, Sims Jordan instructs Hogan how to get some money for her
children by suing the jail for negligence.
She tells Hogan that she and McNabney had handled a few Nevada prison death
cases, where, she says, the top government claim amount is $50,000. She asks
him to make a similar claim for her children in Florida, based on her alleged
treatment at the Hernando County jail.
She claims in the note that the jail didn't check her every 15 minutes, as the
regulations require, and that she wasn't allowed to shower or use the telephone
often enough.
"Maybe some of this will help my case," she said.
An investigation showed Sims Jordan was checked every 15 minutes, said Steve
Owen, a spokesperson for the Corrections Corporation of America, a Nashville
company that contracts to run the jail.
He was unaware of Sims Jordan's specific shower schedule, but he did say that
the unit where she was staying has a regular shower regimen.
The jail has not had a suicide in years, officials said.
The letter, though addressed to Hogan, was never mailed. It was left in the
cell, and thus became a public document under Florida law.
It was found in the corner of the cell, sealed in an envelope, torn into four
sections, then bundled in a sandwich wrapper.
Sims Jordan had changed her name when she left Florida and McNabney had known
her as Elisa, an identity she stole from a former Florida inmate.
Once she came West, she broke ties with her parents, brother and sister, whom
Hogan described as decidedly more reserved than their free-spirited Laren with
her penchant for sports cars and shopping.
But in the end, she came back to their fold.
"My parents can now know where Haylei is and not be afraid for her. My dad will
understand. ... He will realize it is the best thing I can do for him and my
mom. They have a nice, simple life with Jason and his family and Taylor and her
family. I never fit the mold, Tom. The fact that they even acknowledge me is
amazing. I am not good like they are. I do not have that in me. I don't know
why and I don't know if I ever did. I just know I've always been a
disappointment to them."
In a postscript, she remembers her parents again: "Please tell them I love
them."
The Bee's M.S. Enkoji can be reached at (916) 321-1106 or men...@sacbee.com .
Maggie
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the
experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to
do so."--Douglas Adams.
JonesieCat
"Maggie" <maggi...@aol.comSPAMBLOC> wrote in message
news:20020403095107...@mb-ch.aol.com...
A woman who sought control, and manipulated to get her own way til the very
end. But a coward. How odd to say her father would understand and know it
was for the best, and how she was a disappointment to her family. She showed
them alright; they probably feel worse than ever due to her suicide and her
note. I think that must be exactly what she wanted. I feel very sorry for
her children.
I'm curious to what sort of life she had growing up, but we'll probably
never know.
JC