US Judge shoots self dead inside courtroom on last day in office

A Georgia state judge in the United States, Stephen Yekel, has reportedly taken his own life inside his courtroom.

The body of the judge was discovered in Effingham County State Court on Tuesday morning, where he is believed to have shot himself.

Yekel, 74, was found by a deputy at around 10 a.m. on what would have been his last day on the bench.

According to the Daily Mail UK, reports indicate that he may have shot himself late Monday night or early Tuesday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently probing the incident.

Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie stated that Yekel had recently lost a bid for re-election and had attempted to resign from his position, a request that was denied by Governor Brian Kemp.

McDuffie mentioned that Yekel had sent a note to the Governor’s office regarding his resignation but did not disclose its contents.

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The courtroom remains closed and is scheduled to resume normal operations on January 2. Yekel, a father of four, had a distinguished career as a former assistant district attorney in Chatham County and a practicing lawyer with over 45 years of experience.

He also served as a special agent with the state’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit and worked as an investigator at the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.

In his resignation letter to Governor Kemp, Yekel expressed his disappointment with the low voter turnout for the election he lost, stating that the position is “too important to be decided by only 6% of eligible voters.”

However, Kemp rejected his resignation request, emphasizing the importance of respecting the will of the people of Effingham County.