A producer for ABC’s Good Morning America is sharing the harrowing story of the murder of her 7-year-old daughter by her ex-husband.
In her new memoir, Michelle Hord relives the tragic day that occurred five years ago when ex-husband Neil White killed Gabrielle just hours after the couple’s divorce.
The tragedy unfolded in June, 2017, when her estranged husband finally agreed to sign the divorce papers.
Speaking on E! News’ Daily Pop, Michelle shared details of what happened next.
It was June 2017 when her ex finally agreed to sign the divorce papers, but by that point, she told E! “there was so much friction” between the two that she was living in a rental house.
Then, on June 6, “I got this call from my nanny with this bloodcurdling scream, and it was clear she was at a crime scene.”
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“I went in a little room and shut the door…got on my knees and said ‘God, I do not know what I’m walking into, but whatever it is, please just give me the strength to deal with it.'”
But Michelle’s world was changed forever when she discovered her daughter had been suffocated.
Two years later, a jury found Neil guilty of her murder, and sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison.
After her ordeal, Michelle turned to faith to help her cope, and began to write her emotions down in a series of journals.
Those journals became the basis for her new book: The Other Side of Yet: Finding Light in the Midst of Darkness.
“I’ve always loved writing. But it felt like life or death,” Michelle told ABC News. “It felt like, you know, when something traumatic and unexpected happened, I think we all look for familiarity, whether that’s food, music, friends, loved ones, and writing is like breathing for me. I realized that this was my testimony, and it was important to share it.”
She also honors Gabrielle’s legacy through her nonprofit, Gabrielle’s Wings, which helps provide resources and support to children of color in vulnerable communities by providing educational and enrichment opportunities.
Ultimately, Michelle just hopes her book can help others.
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“Survival looks different every day,” she confessed to ABC News. “And the reality is you do struggle.
“And sometimes faith is about putting a foot out in front of you at the edge of the cliff…and knowing that somehow something’s going to catch you.”
