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| Inmate sentenced for threatening to kill judge |
| By New York Lawyer |
| Published: 03/21/2005 |
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On March 1, U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider of Tyler added almost 22 years to the sentence of a state prison inmate who sent letters graphically detailing his plans to murder another judge and two prosecutors, as federal authorities nationwide continue to grapple with how to deter those who threaten judicial officers. "Our whole goal is to try to deter them," says U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of Dallas, whose office prosecuted William Earl Hill, 37, in Sherman for sending letters in which Hill threatened to torture and kill U.S. District Judge Richard A. Schell and two assistant U.S. attorneys. "Threats are part of our daily lives," says U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of Austin, who has served on the federal bench in the Western District since 1991. Six federal district judges and one magistrate judge interviewed by Texas Lawyer say most threats come from prison inmates who are unable to carry out their threats. Sparks says he is more worried that someone might act without warning than he is about threats. "We're all pretty sobered about what happened up in Chicago," Sparks says. On Feb. 28, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow of Chicago found her husband, attorney Michael Lefkow, and elderly mother, Donna Humphrey, slain in their home. The Chicago Tribune reported on March 10 that a man, who shot himself in the head during a traffic stop in Wisconsin on the evening of March 9, had left a suicide note claiming that he had killed Lefkow's relatives. According to the Tribune's report, the man had brought a medical-malpractice suit that Lefkow had dismissed in September 2004. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for protecting federal judges, estimates it records 700 threats and inappropriate communications to judicial officials each year, says Mavis Dezulovich, spokeswoman for the service. Out of those, approximately 20 per year are serious enough to require the service to provide a protective detail and about a dozen of those require around-the-clock protection, Dezulovich says. Citing security concerns, Dezulovich declines to say whether the Marshals Service is providing protection for any federal judges in Texas. |
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