Report: At least 5 civil judges in Chicago area get death threats in anonymous letters
At least five judges in Cook County, Illinois, recently received death threats in anonymous letters sent to their chambers.
They had the word “frank” instead of a postage stamp and listed on the return address portion of the envelopes the names and addresses of other judges, said Chief Circuit Court Judge Timothy Evans in a memo he sent Friday to all of the court’s Chicago area judges.
It is not clear how many judges received letters, but Judge Thomas Mulroy told the Chicago Tribune (reg. req.) he had gotten one, and knew two judges who had also received them. All work at the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago and handle commercial caseloads.
Mulroy had turned his letter over to Evans by the time he spoke with the Tribune, but said it included the sentence “You’re on a kill list.”
Two other judges who oversee mortgage foreclosure cases received letters last week, the newspaper reported. An unidentified source told the Tribune that one of the letters, which included threats from unidentified groups, said: “These groups are serious. They want revenge. They’ll kill you and your family.”
The county sheriff’s office is investigating, but no arrest has been made.
“We have an open investigation and will run this out and ensure the safety of the judges,” said chief strategist Cara Smith. “Any threat to a member of the judiciary is of the utmost concern.”
