Trans baby killer released from prison 30 years early in Indiana

It has been revealed that Jonathan Richardson, also known as Autumn Cordellione, has been quietly released on parole after serving less than half of his 55-year sentence for murdering his 11-month-old stepdaughter. 

The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office warned the community on March 26 that Richardson, a trans-identified male, had been spotted back in public. Prosecutor Diana Moers said that her office had not been informed by the Indiana Department of Corrections that Richardson had been released, and stressed the importance of House Bill 1250 passing, which would require the Department of Corrections to notify local officials of the release of a serious violent felon. 

Per Reduxx, Richardson was released in late December 2025. His early release may be linked to an injunction in state court that required the Indiana Department of Corrections to provide taxpayer-funded cosmetic surgeries for Richardson, the outlet said. 

In September of 2024, United States District Court for Southern Indiana Judge Richard Young sided with Richardson and the ACLU, saying that Richardson had been a victim of "cruel and unusual punishment" when a sex change surgery was denied. The judge ordered that the Department of Corrections make the surgery available to Richardson as soon as possible. Richardson also filed a lawsuit in 2024 claiming to identify as Muslim and alleging that he was prevented from wearing a hijab.

The mother of the child killed by Richardson submitted a statement during the proceedings opposing Richardson’s bid to get surgery over concerns he may conceal his identity upon release. "On the day he murdered my child, I personally observed Plaintiff with a fresh bleeding tattoo of my child’s name on his arm while I was at the hospital that evening. I live in fear for myself and my children of the day [Richardson] is released from prison, which largely increases at the thought that [his] identity may be concealed upon release." 

Richardson had demanded a list of surgeries, including a "vagina," breast implants, a brow lift and reduction, a uterus transplant, a tummy tuck, gluteal implants, and hair removal, among other items. That list was reduced to penile inversion and an orchiectomy, a surgery that removes the testicles. 

In the wake of being released, Richardson has created several social media profiles and has also begun posting pornography on OnlyFans. Richardson’s exact location in Vanderburgh County is unknown, though one source who spoke with Reduxx claimed that Richardson has been staying at a women’s shelter. 

On social media, Richardson describes being in a relationship with another trans-identified male, who was also convicted of killing a baby. Cory Wallace was sentenced in 2016 to 72 years in prison for setting fire to his house, covering up that he had beaten his 4-month-old son to death. 

Richardson had been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the killing of his infant stepdaughter. He had confessed to killing the child who had been left in his care by the child’s mother. Richardson referred to the child as a "little f*cking b*tch." While the mother was out, Richardson’s friends visited and said he was "acting strangely" and refused to invite them in. He later went next door, requesting that they call 911 because the child was unresponsive. The girl died at the hospital, with the cause of death ruled as manual strangulation.