WASHINGTON COUNTY, INDIANA, Ind. — New court documents revealed this week show hundreds of pages of discovery in the case against Dejaune Anderson, the woman accused of killing her 5-year-old son, Cairo Jordan.
A mushroom hunter found Jordan's body stuffed inside a suitcase in rural southern Indiana in April 2022. Anderson is charged with murder, neglect of a dependent and obstruction of justice in the young boy's death.
On Tuesday, Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt informed the court the state's discovery includes hundreds of pages of documents, including photos, text messages, police bodycam video, interviews and search warrants of numerous online accounts.
It also includes 80 witnesses, any of whom may be called to the stand during trial.
The witness list contains nearly three dozen law enforcement officers. It also lists Jeff Meredith, the mushroom hunter who found Jordan's body; Dawn Coleman, the other woman charged in Jordan's death; and an Indiana priest Anderson contacted about doing an exorcism on the boy.
Prosecutors may also introduce "other bad acts" from Anderson's criminal history, which WHAS11 has covered extensively.
Anderson seeks new judge
Dejaune Anderson has also filed several new motions this week requesting the Indiana Supreme Court appoint a special judge to her case.
She also reiterated previous motions to represent herself in court and have all her charges dropped.
In the motions filed Tuesday, Anderson argued her arrest and extradition to Indiana were illegal. She said she is now being held in solitary confinement at the Washington County Jail and is under a mental health and suicide watch.
Anderson also claims to have been placed under "MK Ultra mind control" while at the jail. She said "chemicals" have been placed in her food daily and argued "hazardous materials" were placed in air vents to cause irritation.
She claims the court and Washington County Jail have shown bias against her and believes she can't receive a fair trial.
"The bias and prejudice experienced by [me] are grounds making a fair trial impossible," she wrote.
In her motion seeking a new judge, Anderson claimed Judge Larry Medlock showed bias by allowing a public defender to continue to represent her -- although the attorney isn't allowed to file motions on her behalf without her approval, the judge ordered.
"I understand that there will be no special treatment," she said in arguing to represent herself.
Medlock refuses to make a ruling in the motion until psychiatric evaluations determine whether Anderson is competent to stand trial, which she has also pushed back against.
Anderson remains at the Washington Jail without bond and will be in court for a pre-trial hearing on June 20.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
