Georgia judge shoots himself dead in his own courtroom on final day in office
Georgia judge shoots himself dead in his own courtroom on final day in office
Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, was found dead on Tuesday in his own courtroom
Summary
Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, died by suicide in his courtroom on his last day in office after losing a re-election bid.
He was found Tuesday morning at Effingham County State Courthouse, with investigators believing the incident occurred late Monday or early Tuesday.
Yekel, appointed in 2022, had recently attempted to resign but was denied by Governor Brian Kemp.
He was also facing a wrongful termination lawsuit from a former court employee.
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I have a buddy who lives in Effingham county, he said
"Apparently he was trying to resign to undo the recent election where he lost to the first person to run against him in a while".
The dude was 74, and pissed he lost an election to the first incumbent?
So he shoots himself?
That... Well. Ok I have no fucking idea how it clears much up, but he didn't like that outcome by the look of it.
Yeah it's word of mouth info so take it with a grain of salt. It very well could be the family's attempt at a cover up that's spreading through the rumor mill, it's a small town in South Georgia after all.
Wait, how would resigning undo an election?
I think he means the judge was super vain or proud and didn't want that loss on his record