Gigi Gordon, lawyer was 54

Gigi Gordon, a well-known criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles who recently was directing attorney of the Post Conviction Assistance Center, died last week. The Daily Journal's Henry Meier reports today that she committed suicide in her car at a Brentwood park. Gordon suffered from multiple sclerosis, former husband Andrew A. Stein said.

Those close to Gordon said her condition had been worsening for over a year. According to friends it was a painful and slow descent for the once vibrant and tenacious litigator.

"Her brain 'broke' about a year ago," Stein said. "[She] couldn't read; couldn't write. For her, that was what life was all about. We got the best medical care that could be obtained, but it wasn't enough."

Gordon had lost much of her independence and had moved in with her close friend and former colleague, Santa Monica defense attorney Madelynn G. Kopple, who said it was a period of ups and downs.

"There were some tough times, but there were also some really good times," Kopple said. "We had so many wonderful experiences together."

In the late 1980s Gordon "was integral in exposing the LAPD's corrupt practice of using false testimony by jailhouse informants to gain convictions. Ultimately her advocacy led to the state legislature enacting new legal barriers and safeguards to protect against these abuses." District Attorney Steve Cooley called her one of the city's most respected and admired criminal defense attorneys. Services are pending, the Metropolitan-News reported.