Darryl Hamilton's Girlfriend Had Previous Conviction For Arson

In a sad story reported earlier this week, former Major League Baseball player Darryl Hamilton, 50, who was an on-air personality for the MLB Network, was shot and killed by his girlfriend Monica Jordan (pictured) in her Houston home. She then turned the gun on herself.

Their 13-month-old son was at the scene but was unharmed. A University of Houston Law School graduate who had worked for both Merrill Lynch and Enron. According The New York Daily News, Hamilton did not live in the home and had broken it off with Jordan months before. The two had amicably worked out a custody arrangement for their child in court just two days before.

Both had two other children apiece by previous spouses.

While there has not yet been a motive revealed in the murder/suicide, it has been uncovered that Jordan had faced some serious charges related to relationship issues in the past.

Blacklegalissues.com reports: 

The Pearland woman who police said shot and killed former Major League Baseball player and MLB Network analyst Darryl Hamilton before killing herself had burned down a Brazoria County house in a case in which she believed her then-husband was cheating on her, officials said.

Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne said Monica Jordan burned the Pearland-area house to the ground in 2006 after accusing her then-husband of infidelity. The two lived at the home at the time. The arson caused about $150,000 worth of damage, Yenne said.

“The circumstances were severe; the circumstances were very severe,” Yenne said. “I have spoken to my staff every now and then, when we’re talking about an arson, I would talk about this case.”

Jordan pleaded guilty to the felony charge and was sentenced to deferred adjudication, a type of probation.

Now, police are investigating a case in which they said Jordan shot and killed 13-year MLB veteran Hamilton in an incident that shocked neighbors living on a quiet street with beige, brick-exterior homes and sent reverberations across the greater baseball community.

About 4:45 p.m. Sunday, Pearland police found Jordan, 44, dead in the 11500 block of Island Breeze from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Hamilton, 50, was found dead near the entry of Jordan’s home, with several gunshot wounds.

Police arrived at the house after receiving an emergency call about a disturbance. Child Protective Services took custody of Jordan and Hamilton’s 13-month old child, who was found at the home.

Much of Sunday’s incident remains shrouded in mystery. Pearland police did not say what they believe sparked the apparent confrontation between Jordan and Hamilton, and they did not say whether they had been called to the home before.

Next-door neighbor Christopher Yarde, 40, was surprised to see flashing police lights outside his home Sunday. He said he was home that day but had not seen or heard anything unusual before the police arrived.

Yarde did not know Jordan well, only occasionally exchanging short, friendly interactions with her outside their houses. He said he rarely saw Hamilton and had not spoken to him.

Sometimes he saw children playing outside on Jordan’s lawn.

According to Gwen Carter, a CPS spokeswoman, Jordan had two other children, ages 11 and 13, who were in their father’s custody.

“Our prayers go out to them,” she said. “This is a tragic loss for any child.”

In the arson case, initial reports indicated that Jordan had chased her husband around the house, trying to throw a liquid on him. He was not injured, Yenne said.

Jordan’s ex-husband, Rohaven Richards III, had asked that Jordan not be sent to jail for the arson, fearing the impact jail time would have on their children, Yenne said.

Yenne said after Jordan’s arson case, she had received a punishment of probation for 10 years, but her probation was terminated early by a judge in 2010. Her probation had prohibited Jordan from having a firearm.

In that case, Jordan paid $80,000 in restitution, Yenne said.

It has been reported that Jordan called Richards and asked him to call 911 the day of her murder/suicide.

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