Texas pastor dies after daughter sits on her in ‘prayer position,’ police say

A Texas woman is accused of straddling her mother in what she called a “prayer position,” suffocating her in November, authorities said.

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Gloria Ann Jordan, 41, of Wichita Falls, was arrested Tuesday and charged with manslaughter, according to Wichita County Jail online booking records.

Jordan is accused of the Nov. 21, 2021, death of Gloria Equila Farmer Jordan, 70, the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth reported. According to her obituary, Gloria Farmer Jordan was a pastor and the mother of Gloria Ann Jordan.

The pastor was the leader of First Pentecostal Church in Wichita Falls, according to The Christian Post.

According to police, Gloria Farmer Jordan’s death was from a medical condition, KAUZ-TV reported.

Gloria Ann Jordan and another woman told police they were the only ones at the home when Gloria Farmer Jordan died, according to the Star-Telegram. An autopsy was performed after a family friend raised concerns, the newspaper reported.

The autopsy confirmed that Gloria Farmer Jordan died of mechanical asphyxia, and her death was ruled a homicide, the Star-Telegram reported.

According to an affidavit, the third woman stated that Gloria Ann Jordan put her hand on Farmer’s forehead while praying, and pushed her backward in an office chair until the chair fell over, KAUZ reported. Gloria Ann Jordan then straddled her mother’s body, sitting on her chest while Gloria Farmer Jordan asked her to move because she could not breathe, the television station reported.

The woman said she tried pulling Gloria Ann Jordan off Gloria Farmer Jordan but was unable to do so, according to the affidavit. She told police that “Jordan stayed in that position until Farmer stopped breathing.”

The affidavit further stated that in a non-custodial interview, Gloria Ann Jordan “admitted that she then straddled her body in what she called prayer position with her hand on Farmer’s forehead.”

“When asked to elaborate on how her body was positioned, Jordan stated that she would not answer any further questions out of fear of incriminating herself.”

In a non-custodial interview, the person is free to leave at any time, police said, and a Miranda warning is not given, the Star-Telegram reported. A suspect is free to leave even if they confess to a crime, but police can obtain an arrest warrant after the interview.

Police obtained a warrant on Tuesday, and Gloria Ann Jordan was arrested by the Burkburnett Police Department, according to online jail records.

She is being held on $150,000 bail.

On Nov. 26, 2021, Gloria Ann Jordan was arrested on an unrelated charge of assault of a family member at the same location, according to Wichita County Jail online booking records.

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