Court Security

Judge on paid leave, seeking counseling after reported fight with public defender outside courtroom

Updated: A Florida judge who made international headlines after reportedly fighting with an assistant public defender outside his courtroom on Monday and then returning to the bench was not at work Tuesday. Another judge was handling the call in Brevard County Judge John Murphy’s courtroom, and a spokeswoman for the…

Jun 3, 2014 5:10 PM CDT

After judge’s fistfight with public defender was broken up, he returned to the bench, says report

Updated: A Florida judge told a veteran public defender to step outside the courtroom on Monday, then punched the attorney until sheriff’s deputies broke up the altercation, WFTV reports. Although the incident occurred outside the range of a court camera, it captured audio, including what the station describes as several…

Jun 2, 2014 10:45 PM CDT

Report: Lawyer uses wife’s car, with her judicial license plate, to park in courthouse lot

A member of the public who parks in a special area of a Queens Supreme Court parking lot reserved for police officers transporting prisoners can be fined over $100 and have his or her car towed. However, police hesitate to ticket a vehicle with a judicial license plate. And, as…

Jun 2, 2014 5:40 PM CDT

Man charged in murder attempt on judge also wanted to slay DA and federal judge, authorities say

William Ray Phillips would have liked to have arranged for a contract hit on a Texas district attorney, a state-court judge and a federal judge, authorities say. But when it came time to put his money on the table, the 63-year-old was allegedly willing to pay only for the slaying…

May 29, 2014 4:05 PM CDT

Could top judge OK search of colleague’s chambers? Ex-jurist charged in drug case says answer is no

A retired Pennsylvania judge charged with stealing drugs from evidence files while he was still on the bench is challenging a search of his Washington County Courthouse chambers authorized two years ago by the county’s chief jurist. The president judge of Washington County didn’t have the power to order a…

May 21, 2014 9:00 PM CDT

Feds raise reward to $7,500 per man for 3 who fled court before guilty verdict in major drug case

Three men who were no-shows for the guilty verdict in a major federal drug case in Detroit on May 12, after appearing in court earlier the same day, are still missing. So the U.S. Marshals Service has raised the reward being offered for the capture of Carlos Powell, 39, his…

May 21, 2014 7:25 PM CDT

9 charged after murder arraignment erupts into courthouse melee and chase

A seemingly innocuous remark at a murder case arraignment Tuesday afternoon erupted into a war of words between two families, brawling, a court panic alarm and a foot chase as individuals involved ran from a Providence, Rhode Island, courthouse with city and state police and sheriff’s officers in hot pursuit.…

May 21, 2014 6:30 PM CDT

Man arrested for trying to bring loaded gun into courthouse had threatened his wife, authorities say

A 41-year-old man arrested Monday morning as he allegedly tried to bring a loaded gun into a Texas courthouse was there for a divorce case hearing involving his estranged wife, authorities say. Court records show that Hyonbo Ko also had two outstanding arrest warrants when he was taken into custody…

May 20, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Feds seek 3 men who went AWOL just before guilty verdict in major drug case

Apparently aware that their case wasn’t going well, three defendants in a major drug case in Detroit appeared in federal court Monday at the conclusion of a two-week trial but skipped out before the guilty verdict was read. A manhunt is underway for Carlos Powell, 39, Eric Powell, 36, and…

May 12, 2014 9:40 PM CDT

Lawyers boycott Pakistan courts over slaying of attorney who stayed on case despite death threats

Lawyers throughout Pakistan boycotted the nation’s courts Friday to protest the slaying earlier this week of a human rights attorney who continued to represent an academic in a controversial blasphemy case despite death threats reportedly made in open court last month. Muhammad Ramzan Chaudhry, who serves as vice chairman of…

May 9, 2014 8:15 PM CDT

Lawyer defending academic in blasphemy case is fatally shot at office; other lawyers go on strike

For months, a lecturer at a Pakistani university jailed in a blasphemy case was unable to find a lawyer to represent him: They feared violent reprisals and even death at the hands of extremist religious groups. Then a lawyer who initially agreed to take the case stepped aside because of…

May 8, 2014 9:53 PM CDT

Kidnap crew meant to abduct prosecutor, but went to wrong address and got her dad, indictment says

The father of a North Carolina prosecutor abducted from his home earlier this month was kidnapped by mistake, says a federal indictment filed Tuesday. The defendants intended to kidnap the prosecutor who earlier put the alleged ringleader of the abduction plot in prison for life, but got her father instead…

Apr 23, 2014 2:45 PM CDT

Federal judge provides for jury counseling after marshal fatally shoots defendant in court

A new federal courthouse in Salt Lake City was touted for its enhanced security features. However, when a defendant in a racketeering case lunged at a witness at his trial began Monday, it wasn’t the exterior vehicle barricades or the bullet-resistant glass and paneling that stopped him but an armed…

Apr 22, 2014 2:35 PM CDT

Defendant shot dead by marshal after charging witness stand during trial, officials say

Updated: A defendant in a federal racketeering trial was shot multiple times in the chest by a federal marshal Monday after he lunged toward the witness stand holding a pen or pencil, officials said. The defendant, 25-year-old Siale Angilau, died in the hospital at around 2 p.m. The trial of…

Apr 21, 2014 6:00 PM CDT

2 new suspects named, $25K reward offered in kidnapping of prosecutor’s dad

Two additional suspects have been named in the kidnapping of a North Carolina prosecutor’s father earlier this month and one has been taken into custody. Both Jakym “Jak” Camel Tibbs and Quantavious Thompson have been charged with conspiring to kidnap Frank Janssen, 63, who was rescued in Atlanta last week…

Apr 17, 2014 9:10 PM CDT