A super sleuth
Old-school detective Mike Gordon ready to turn in his shield
By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
Sgt. Mike Gordon is retiring Friday after three decades with the Charleston Police Department, 23 years of them as a homicide detective. He has worked about 250 murder cases over the years since becoming a detective.
Sgt. Mike Gordon has kept a steady date with death for 23 years, prowling some of Charleston's darkest corners to solve a host of brutal and puzzling killings.
The veteran detective has worked some 250 homicide cases in his career, witnessing firsthand the myriad ways humans can inflect pain and misery on one another. He's also seen the toll on the people left behind. That's one reason he's kept at the job so long, cracking cases and bringing closure to the grieving.
"I always felt that I was working for the families, and that they deserved the best I had to offer," Gordon said.
His watch comes to an end Friday as Gordon, 53, hangs up his detective's shield and retires after three decades on the job. He's looking into work as a private detective. He also plans to spend more time with his wife, Judy, who runs the Charleston Police Department's forensic services division, and their two young children.
Long ago, Gordon had set 30 years as a loose benchmark for his retirement. He wanted to make sure he didn't overstay his welcome and lose his edge, that he went out on a high note. But his news still surprised some of his closest friends and co-workers.
"It's hard to imagine going to a murder scene in the city and not having Mike Gordon be there," Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said.
Gordon rarely missed a call-out to a homicide. It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night or his day off or if family was visiting from out-of-town. He wanted to set foot on every crime scene, attend every autopsy, on the chance he might find some clue to solve the crime.
His family understood. After all, it was on a homicide scene that he asked his wife out on their first date 10 years ago.
Whether it was the hunt for the Ardmore rapist in the 1980s or the search for an honor graduate's killer in 2003, you would likely find Gordon behind the yellow tape, wearing a neatly pressed suit and adding fresh notes to the tattered leather binder he had carried since his first days as a detective.
"Mike has a family, and they come first; but his cases were never very far behind," said Detective Sgt. Barry Goldstein, Gordon's longtime colleague on the homicide desk.
The two men started working at the Charleston Police Department on the very same day, Sept. 16, 1977, part of a class of 31 new recruits. They are a study in contrasts — Goldstein, effusive and irreverent; Gordon, low-key and reserved — but they share a passion for detective work. Still, Goldstein said he has seen few people as devoted to the job as Gordon.
When Police Chief Greg Mullen arrived in Charleston two years ago, he was stunned to learn Gordon had been in the homicide unit for so long. "Most officers I know, they can do it for seven or eight years, then they have to do something else because it's such a hard assignment," Mullen said.
Late-night call-outs. Grisly scenes. Anguished families. Uncooperative witnesses. Angry suspects. The burden of speaking for the dead. It's a grinding gig that can wear down even the toughest cop.
With his chiseled features, probing stare and unflappable demeanor, Gordon comes across as the quintessential old-school detective. So much so, in fact, that Wooten once talked him into donning a trench coat and fedora to portray a sleuth for an educational presentation. His only request was that it not be seen in Charleston.
The truth is, Gordon is not much for the spotlight. Not a bit. He quickly deflects attention from himself and trumpets the contributions of others. Ask him about an arrest he's made, and he'll quickly tell you about the fine work done by the first officer on the scene, the crime scene techs who collected the evidence, the emergency room nurse who kept his victim breathing.
"I could fill a phone book with all of the people who have had a positive impact on my career over the years," he said.
Gordon transferred into homicide eight years into his career and never wanted to go anywhere else. The hunt for clues. The unraveling of a motive. The building of a case. The job perfectly suited Gordon's methodical, meticulous style.
One of the first big cases Gordon worked was the bizarre murder of 31-year-old David Joseph Middleton, who was beaten, robbed and hung by his necktie from a Charlotte Street fence in November 1985.
Middleton's brother-in-law, Charleston Fire Battalion Chief Raymond Lloyd, still recalls the young detective taking time to reassure the devastated family that the killer would be brought to justice. Herbert Lee Parker later received a life prison term for the killing.
"Mike made an extremely difficult time easier for us," Lloyd said.
Gordon also had a hand in the 1985 investigation that led to the capture of rapist Russell DeVall Bennett, tied to the sexual assaults of four women in the Ardmore subdivision. The detective can't forget the chilling interview with the suspect, who also received a life prison sentence. "He had so little remorse," Gordon said. "He seemed to think we were making too big a deal out of it."
In the years that followed, Gordon investigated a litany of high-profile cases: the 1994 slaying of Georgia tourist Elliot Davis, shot during an attempted robbery on Church Street; the 2002 slaying of 13-year-old Velvet Brown, shot in the back while walking home from the Sertoma football classic; the 2003 rape and stabbing of College of Charleston honors graduate Julie Jett in her West Ashley home; the 2006 killing of Dannie Johnson Jr., a wheelchair-bound paraplegic man slain in West Ashley. Those, and many more.
Gordon treated every case equally, Goldstein said, never judging the case or its victim. He was deeply disappointed when witnesses recanted their stories in the Velvet Brown case, forcing prosecutors to dismiss charges against the prime suspect, Earl Allen. But when Allen was shot dead on Strawberry Lane in 2006, Gordon took the case and worked it hard until an arrest was made, Goldstein said.
Judy Gordon said her husband never gave up on a case. He kept in touch with families of victims for years, and it pained him if he had no new information to share. As recently as a month ago, the detective stopped by to chat with the mother of Donna Florence, who was stabbed to death and mutilated near the Interstate 26 overpass on Meeting Street in July 1997, his wife said.
"He always says, 'There are no cold cases, they're just unsolved.' "
Reach Glenn Smith at gsmith@postandcourier.com or 937-5556.
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Cid95 (anonymous) says...
I've met this guy once under difficult circumstances and this article, as gushing as it is, is on the mark.
So, Detective Gordon, PLEASE be careful today. You know what always happens to cops that are "one day from retirement..."
July 24, 2008 at 1:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MRSCVS (anonymous) says...
This is a man who was dedicated to his job for so long and done an excellent job at it.
Enjoy your retirement you have earned it.
God bless you for your service in LE!
July 24, 2008 at 1:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ForPnC (anonymous) says...
You have to admire him. I sure couldn't do that job. As Cid said - PLEASE be careful today.
July 24, 2008 at 3:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lillycollette (anonymous) says...
Thank you for your years of service Sergeant Gordon. Your talents would be an asset in the private sector.
... "The hunt for clues. The unraveling of a motive. The building of a case." ...
-- Roger that --
July 24, 2008 at 4:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zoomru (anonymous) says...
Sergeant Gordon.....KUDOS?!
Years spent trying to unravel, find, discover, pry, uncover, dig, investigate, "mind Meld", and waterboard the truth out of PUNKS, THUGS, CRIMINALS, SCUM, RASCALS, COWARDS, LIERS, CHEATS, and the un-assuming neighbor next DOOR have undoubtedly prepared your for OUR STATE's biggest ...WHO-DONE-IT, Who's-Doing-It-NOW, and Who's-Scheming-To-Do-US-Tomorrow !!!
Sir...your expertise is needed at the Front, Left Flank, Right Flank and OUR TAXPAYING REAR !!!!
"Flash" Gordon...We Need a HERO to rid OUR state of corruption and taxpayer fraud!
God's Speed.........
July 24, 2008 at 6:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SuzieQJones (anonymous) says...
Well done, Sgt. Gordon. Enjoy your "retirement."
July 24, 2008 at 6:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCGirl0901 (anonymous) says...
I worked at CPD many moons ago and he was always the ultimate professional. Hopefully he will be asked to consult on cases in the future. Good luck in the future and enjoy your family once you turn in the pager and cell phone!
July 24, 2008 at 6:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wonderdog (anonymous) says...
Congratulations, and thank you for your service to the community!
July 24, 2008 at 7:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChrisPia (anonymous) says...
Congrats On Your Retirement. THank You for Your Dedicated service.
July 24, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LutherVanderhorst (anonymous) says...
He owns the detective look. The background, court house? award ceremony? Dilapidated building and sagging fence.
This guy needs to write a book. Good photo p&c.
July 24, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ysillyme (anonymous) says...
This truly is a feel good story. Nice way to start the morning; uplifting story and fresh brewed coffee.
July 24, 2008 at 8:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
Thank you for being a shining light & superb role model, under some of the most stressful & draining of situations, for all LEO.
My hope & prayer is that all LEO look to you, Detective Gordon, & promise themselves to be as professional & honorable as you have been.
Godspeed in your well deserved retirement.
July 24, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bubbbie (anonymous) says...
Mr. Gordon I don't know you and thankfully have never required your services but thank you for your years of dedication and hard work. We need more people like you!
July 24, 2008 at 9:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oldglory (anonymous) says...
It always makes me feel good inside when I read about an impressive human being. These beings are too few and far between. Sgt. Mike Gordon, you are very, very impressive.
As Luther said . . . "This guy needs to write a book." I wholeheartedly agree!
July 24, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yeayea (anonymous) says...
you the man, thanks for your service.
July 24, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
summerville_guy (anonymous) says...
Thank you for your service, sir. Enjoy your retirement.
July 24, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ysillyme (anonymous) says...
Maybe Sgt. Gordon could help find the hidden assets the "Econonman" has stashed somewhere. Don't think I'd want him on my trail. $66mill is just too much to hide on trinkets, croc shoes, purple jags, and nutra sweet programs. Yolanda Rumphumper...got anything hidden back there? Ya sure?
July 24, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammer (anonymous) says...
congrats on your retirement sir!! and thank you very much for your years of dedicated service, and of course thank your family for us as well...
you should write a book, I know I'd buy it
July 24, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coastal1 (anonymous) says...
Thank you for your service Sir. I would have liked to have seen him on A&E's "The First 48".
July 24, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
carolinapanther (anonymous) says...
coastal1, you took the words right out of my mouth. I agree he should of been on the "The First 48". Enjoy a well deserved retirement.
July 24, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Shaynan (anonymous) says...
Great job, Sgt Gordon! Thanks for all you've done. May you have success as a PI. Hey, it's not too late for an enterprising TV script writer to pick up his story :)
July 24, 2008 at 11:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
deputy216 (anonymous) says...
Best of luck on your retirement.
July 24, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
withrockb (anonymous) says...
Funny how the picture was taking at the P&M store at Meeting near Sheppard street. That place is/was a crackhead/homeless haven.
July 24, 2008 at 12:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Larz13 (anonymous) says...
Congrats and more than happy to hear that my tax dollars were spent wisely.
July 24, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
stephaniem (anonymous) says...
our very own columbo
he had better write a book
I wanna read it
July 24, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCPDBLUE (anonymous) says...
You are a class act,You will always be a member of the thin blue line. We will miss you my brother.
July 24, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Girleygirl (anonymous) says...
Congratulations on your retirement!
July 24, 2008 at 1:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BruceDuRant (anonymous) says...
I have had the distinct honor and pleasure of working with Mike for a number of years. He is a professional in every sense of the word and he will be sorely missed in the law enforcement community. Best of luck to you Mike as you embark upon a new path.
July 24, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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