Open Letter to Judge Lori Hackenberg
Dear Judge Lori Hackenberg,
I am writing to demand your immediate resignation from the bench. I am the mother of Adam Jonathan Gitter- my precious, sweet, loving, brilliant 6-year-old son, who lost his life due to your reckless, corrupt, and biased decision to relocate him to Florida in August 2022. You held my son’s future in your hands, and with one reckless decision, you tore that future away from him forever. Your judgment to remove Adam from my care and place him with his father in Florida directly led to his death.
On Friday, August 9, 2024, I walked into your courtroom- not as the hopeful mother I once was, but as a grieving one, forever marked by the unimaginable loss of my beautiful boy. And there you were, presiding over yet another custody case, with yet another child’s life in your hands. I looked at you, searching for any sign of remorse, any hint of guilt for the pain you’ve caused. But what I saw instead was something that broke me even more—you stared at me, and you smiled. How could you smile, Judge Hackenberg? How could you look at me—the mother of a child who lost his life because of your actions—and smile? What kind of a person could be so heartless, so devoid of humanity? How could you carry on as if nothing happened, as if Adam’s death was just another case, just another day’s work?
Adam is my world, my life, my everything. Do you know what it feels like to wake up every morning, knowing your child is gone forever? To open your eyes and be hit with the crushing reality that your little boy, the light of your life, will never come running into your arms again? Every time Adam called me "Mama," my heart skipped a beat. That word was filled with all the love, joy, and connection a mother could ever dream of. Now, no one will ever call me "Mama" again.
Every day is a battle just to breathe, just to get through the agony of knowing that Adam will never laugh, play, or dream again—because of you. At night, I am left to sleep with his Lion King plushy, clutching it as if holding onto the last piece of him. I put his little shirt on top of me, just to feel him in some way, to grasp the little bit of closeness I have left.
Every day, I look at his toys and his shoes as if he might come back. Do you know what it's like to go grocery shopping, to see all the foods Adam loved, and instinctively place them in the cart, only to be hit with the heartbreaking realization that he’s not there to eat them? To walk by the fridge and see his little handwritten note that says, "Mama, I love you. Adam"? These are the things that rip me apart, every single day—because of your decision.
While you live comfortably in your million-dollar house, my son lies in the cold ground, buried far away in New York. Adam was supposed to celebrate his 7th birthday on June 7. He should be here today, getting ready to start 2nd grade, full of life and dreams. But instead, he will never blow out birthday candles again. He will never experience the joy of his first day of school, his first sleepover, his first love, his graduation, or his wedding day. Because of you, Adam will never have the chance to grow up, to discover who he was meant to be, to live the life he deserved. Every moment, every milestone that he deserved you stole from him—and from me.
You, Judge Hackenberg, had the privilege of watching your daughters grow up. You were there to celebrate their milestones, to hold their hands through life’s challenges, and to witness one of your daughters on her wedding day. You’ve experienced all the joys that come with being a mother—the moments I will never have. I will never see Adam’s smile again. I will never hear his laughter, never hold him in my arms, never see the man he could have become. My son is gone because of your incompetence, your corruption, your indifference. While you continue to live your life, mine will never be whole again.
Your continued presence on the bench is not just an insult to justice—it’s a direct threat to every child whose parents are forced to appear before you. You have shown time and again that you prioritize money over justice, and your decisions have caused irreparable harm to innocent lives. For the sake of our community, for the sake of the children you are supposed to protect, you must step down immediately.
You are not fit to serve as a judge. Your actions have proven beyond any doubt that you are unworthy of the trust placed in you as a judge. I demand that you resign from your position without delay, so that no more lives are shattered by your reckless and dangerous decisions.
I am living every parent’s worst nightmare because of you. No parent should have to bury their child. No parent should have to endure this kind of pain. I will carry this grief with me for the rest of my life. But I will not stand by while you continue to sit on that bench, making decisions that destroy lives. Adam’s life mattered, and I hope the memory of what you’ve done to this beautiful, innocent, brilliant, sweet child lingers in your mind and haunts you for the rest of your life.
I am attaching a photo of Adam and his burial place. I ask that you hang it in your home and in your chambers. Every time you look at these photos, I want you to remember the beautiful, sweet, caring, brilliant 6-year-old boy, Adam Jonathan Gitter, who will never get the chance to grow up—all because of you. Let it be a haunting reminder of the blood that stains your hands, a weight you will carry for the rest of your life. Whether you choose to resign tomorrow or face prosecution for the crimes you’ve committed, may this image never leave your conscience.
Sincerely,
Dr. Elena Belogolovsky
Mother of Adam Jonathan Gitter
For more information and resources, visit:
https://fightcorruptionpa.com
www.youtube.com/@FightCorruptionPA
facebook.com/fightcorruptionpa
Sign the petition to Impeach Judge Hackenberg.
