Why Erika Jayne 'Hoped' Her Ex-Husband Would 'Die' Before Starting His 7-Year Prison Sentence For Fraud

Erika Jayne has confessed she "kind of hoped" her ex-husband Tom Girardi died before starting his prison sentence.

Girardi, who was disbarred from practicing law in 2022, was found guilty of committing wire fraud and was handed a 7-year prison sentence.

Erika Jayne has since moved on with her new boyfriend and recently revealed that she's "happy" with him after they both went on a trip to Panama.

Jayne opened up about her sordid wishes on ex-husband Tom Girardi as he continues to serve prison time for wire fraud.

According to the Daily Mail, the reality TV star said she hoped the former lawyer would rather die than go through the pain of serving out his sentence.

She made the quip in a segment of Thursday's episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," telling costar Sutton Stracke that she remained "heartbroken" over his situation and that she doesn't think he'll survive it.

"I said this to somebody the other day, I just kind of hoped he'd die before he'd go to prison, just so he could get it over with," she said.

The 54-year-old TV personality added that it "f-cking sucks knowing that person and being married to that person for so long," only to witness him serve out the sentence that may likely result in his death while in custody.

"To see him walk down the courtroom steps like that, knowing he's going to die in prison - that's heavy on any level," she added.

Jayne and Girardi were in a long-term marriage from 2000 until their split in 2020.

At the time, the 86-year-old worked as a powerful Los Angeles attorney, but his legal empire came crashing down when he was accused of misusing settlement funds owed to vulnerable clients.

It was at this point that Jayne decided to pull the plug on their marriage, although it hasn't been settled.

Meanwhile, in her chat with Stracke, she did mention that the decision wasn't an easy one to make, as she had mixed emotions over it.

"I don't know, but I've thought that exact same thing: 'What do I do?'" she said.

Girardi, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease prior to his trial, was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud in August 2024.

The charges stemmed from a years-long scheme to embezzle over $15 million in settlement funds intended for vulnerable clients, including families of the 2018 Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia.

His ailing health condition led to his being placed in a conservatorship under the care of his brother, Robert Girardi.

Girardi was also ordered to pay $2,310,247 in restitution to his victims and a $35,000 fine.

Alongside her ex-husband, Jayne was also accused of embezzling funds to fund their luxury lifestyle, but didn't face charges.

Back in June, she expressed displeasure upon learning of his fate after Judge Josephine L. Staton handed him the sentence on June 3rd, which happened to be his 86th birthday.

On an episode of her podcast "Diamonds in the Rough," with co-host Teddi Mellencamp, she disclosed that she learned of his fate while on tour in London, adding that "it just hurts" to witness such a situation.

"And then 10 minutes before the second show, I get the news that Tom is being sent to prison. … It just hurts," she said, per the Daily Mail.

She continued, "It reopens old healing wounds, and it is something that, you know, I had a sold-out crowd in a theater just for me, and I was so grateful. My happiest place in the whole world to be is on stage. So while I was happy … there's a little piece [of me] that was like, 'Ugh.'"

At the time, she added that she was "very disappointed" because the crowd was present for her, but she couldn't give them her all because she "felt like 5 percent of myself was feeling sorry for myself."

Jayne has since moved on with boyfriend John McPhee, and is "happy" with him as she looks forward to what's to come.

The Bravo star is understood to be taking things slowly with him, but seemingly doesn't have second thoughts about their relationship.

Back in October, she told her podcast co-host Teddi Mellencamp that they took a trip to Panama and she was "very happy" to have made it, per Bravo TV.

"It was probably one of the best trips I've ever had," she admitted. "John and I went; he actually took me there."

"He and I had a really nice trip," she added. "Like dates and dinners and holding hands and walking around the old city of Panama. And it was so lovely. I was able to be and just sort of clear my mind, and I was really happy there."

Whether or not the wedding bells would ring soon remains to be seen, as Jayne said her next chapter with McAfee is "up for grabs."

"I just don't know what's coming, and sometimes that's OK," she said. "I want inner peace. I want peace after these last five years."