Elana at “Cowgirl Fiesta” @ Art of the Cowgirl

Elana James

4 weeks ago

UPDATE TODAY--Please click the link below for more info. Here's the update I just posted:

Friday, January 9, 2026

Hello and thanks again to all of you who have so, so, SO generously supported me here be it financially, with messages, emails, check ins, calls, love—I’m forever grateful to each and every one of you—almost 300 of you from both inside and outside this gofundme platform.

Your generosity and loving care is extraordinary and I hope to pay it forward someday soon.

After getting texts, calls and messages over the past few days, I wanted to again share a quick update on the lawsuit, which is to say, there is no news to share at this time. The mediation appears to be ongoing and is private.

I’ll keep you updated when the time comes if I am able to share any news publicly.

As far as my Mom is concerned, the Washtenaw County, Michigan DA had previously told our family on no uncertain terms that it was impossible to get a second, independent opinion from another forensic examiner about whether the murderer was “insane” at the time of the attack.

We pushed back against that repeatedly and only by starting to make public announcements, comments, and the broadcast of an interview with NBC news Detroit, did Eli Savit himself, the DA in Washtenaw County, MI (who’s running for Michigan Attorney General) respond to us at all.

On December 9th Eli Savit and his office said that they would cancel the January hearing, which would have been today, at which the murderer would have gotten off with no criminal charges whatsoever through an insanity plea. His office has now said that they can, in fact, arrange for a second, independent forensic examination. That’s supposed to occur at some point over the next few months and the next hearing has now been moved to April 9th.

As there was no toxicology test taken on the night my Mom was murdered, proving that controlled substances had a role in the murderer’s actions has been made much more difficult and the NGRI pleading (not guilty by reason of insanity) is therefore much easier for the murderer and his defense to claim.

I’ll update you more when there is more news, and will also provide a full accounting, when all is said and done, of how and where your incredibly generous funds are being spent and what they have helped to achieve on behalf of my Mom.

Until soon, many thanks and much love,

Elana

PS Photos of my Mom's own pictures of her with Isabelle, her homescreen on her phone (Isabelle with rainbow), and from our time together in Ann Arbor and Leland, MI in the past few years. ... See MoreSee Less

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Hello, I’m a friend of Elana James, and I’m creating this GoFun… Nancy Padilla needs your support for Help Elana James in the aftermath of her Mother’s murder