A state court judge in Georgia was found dead in a county courtroom on Tuesday morning from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a local sheriff.
Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, of the Effingham County State Court was discovered by a sheriff’s deputy in the courthouse between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. The court was not in session at the time of the incident.
Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie said initial evidence suggests Yekel likely took his own life the previous night.
“There was a note sent to the governor’s office,” McDuffie said during a press briefing, though he said details about the note’s contents were still being investigated. A copy of the note has reportedly been circulating on social media, but authorities have not verified its authenticity….