Viswa Vanapalli
Jordie Hudson was a celebrated artist from Florida whose sudden disappearance devastated her loved ones. Sadly, new information uncovered in the investigation made it likely that Jordie had been murdered. Investigation Discovery’s ‘See No Evil: All Eyes on Jordie’ chronicles the tale behind Jordie’s murder and how surveillance cameras captured what the authorities believed to be the aftermath of the murder. So, let’s find out more about what happened then, shall we?
How Did Jordie Hudson Die?
Jordie Randall-Kirkwood Hudson was born in April 1970 and graduated from Baldwin High School, Florida, in 1989. Jordie was a 46-year-old who was described as a highly talented artist living in St. Augustine, Florida. She had multiple exhibits throughout the state as well. According to an acquaintance, Jordie had been diagnosed with meningitis, and that it was terminal.
Jordie was reported missing on April 14, 2016, by her mother. The search for her ended in tragedy when investigators were led to a property on County Road 208 in St. Augustine, and Jordie was found buried under a burn pile. She had been stabbed twice in the neck, with one of the wounds hitting her jugular vein. The autopsy also revealed that Jordie’s ring fingers were cut off post-mortem to remove her jewelry.
Who Killed Jordie Hudson?
About three days before Jordie was reported missing, the authorities were called onto a crime scene on a sidewalk in St. Augustine. There was dried blood along with a bloody steak knife and a pair of glasses found. Once Jordie’s missing person report came in, the police noticed that she had glasses similar to the ones located at the crime scene. This led them to believe that something terrible had happened to Jordie.
Security footage from a local bar showed Jordie at around 2:45 AM on April 9, 2016. She left the place with a man who was later identified as John Harry Branson III. Then, footage from a local business nearby showed Jordie and John involved in an altercation at around 3:45 AM. The camera captured John punching the artist, after which they went out of frame. A chilling sequence of events awaited the investigators next.
John was then seen dragging Jordie’s limp body and throwing it into some bushes by the road. At around 6:30 AM, he returned in his mother’s car along with another woman, later identified as Christeen Thomas, his girlfriend. While Christeen acted as a lookout, John loaded Jordie’s body in the backseat, and they drove away. Christeen later told the police that they had taken the body to the property on County Road 208, where John lived with his mother.
Christeen added that she saw John try to clean his car mats out after removing the body. After burying Jordie, they lit a fire atop the area to not arouse suspicion. John eventually admitted to the crime, saying that he stabbed Jordie during an argument but maintained that she “produced” the knife.
Where is John Harry Branson III Now?
In April 2017, facing life in prison, John pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and mutilating a body. Then 40 years old, John received 40 years for the murder and a consecutive 10-year sentence for the mutilation charge. Christeen pleaded no contest to accessory to second-degree murder after the fact and was sentenced to eight years behind bars. Prison records indicate that John remains incarcerated at the Northwest Florida Reception Center in Chipley, Florida. He will be eligible for release in November 2063.
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