Court Security

Three dead, one wounded in courthouse shooting

A retired Canadian journalist shot and killed the pediatric surgeon who had pursued a malicious mischief case against him and the doctor’s lawyer on Tuesday before dying himself in a courthouse in the Philippines, authorities said. There are conflicting accounts about whether the shooting suspect, John Pope, 63, was killed…

Jan 22, 2013 4:27 PM CST

Misdemeanor Trial Looms for Suspended Chicago Judge re Security Checkpoint Dispute

A misdemeanor trial is looming for a Chicago area judge who was removed from the bench last year after being criminally charged in a dispute with security officers in a government building and subsequently retained by voters in November. Cook County Circuit Judge Cynthia Brim plans to assert at her…

Jan 7, 2013 4:30 PM CST

2nd Man Who Escaped Federal Prison by Climbing Down 15 Stories on Bedsheet Rope Is Captured

A second man who escaped a fortress-like federal prison in downtown Chicago last month by climbing 15 stories down its facade on a makeshift rope made of bedsheets has been captured. Although the resulting federal manhunt had reportedly gone nationwide, Kenneth Conley, a convicted bank robber, was found Friday in…

Jan 7, 2013 3:30 PM CST

Feds Drop Escape Charge re Inmate’s Daring 15-Story Climb Down Chicago Prison Facade

In a strategic move apparently intended to avoid wasting resources on an unnecessary trial and, perhaps, encourage cooperation by a defendant already facing substantial time behind bars, the feds have dropped an escape case against one of two men who made a daring escape from a downtown Chicago prison last…

Jan 3, 2013 7:34 PM CST

Jailed Inmate Faces Charge After Prosecutors Say He Impersonated His Lawyer to Gain Phone Privileges

A defendant already jailed awaiting trial in a drug case is expected to face an additional identity theft charge after prosecutors say he impersonated his public defender in order to place a phone call to another inmate. John Bouraphael is accused of making a three-way call from the Rockingham County…

Jan 3, 2013 5:30 PM CST

Lawyer Is Criminally Charged, Accused of Causing Disturbance While Making Courthouse Filing

Updated: An Illinois lawyer has been criminally charged for allegedly behaving in “a loud or aggressive manner” while making a filing Wednesday at the Lake County Courthouse. Lee Fainman, 37, who practices in the Chicago area, was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of a police officer, according to the…

Dec 20, 2012 6:39 PM CST

Judge Says Man Who Slashed His Counsel’s Face in Front of Jury Will Be Pro Se for Rest of Trial

As an attempted murder trial continues this week in San Diego Superior Court, one of the three defendants will now be required to present his case with the help of a standby lawyer only. That’s because the judge presiding over the case determined Friday that Eduardo Macias had forfeited his…

Dec 17, 2012 7:31 PM CST

High School Civics Lesson in Criminal Court Includes Seeing Lawyer Slashed with Razor Blade

A group of about 20 San Diego high school students getting a civics lesson by watching testimony in a California criminal trial on Thursday morning experienced more than anyone expected. As the prosecution was presenting a final rebuttal witness to the jury in an attempted murder and conspiracy case against…

Dec 13, 2012 11:12 PM CST

Ex-Neighbor Convicted of Plot to Murder Minn. Prosecutor

A former neighbor of a Minnesota prosecutor was convicted by a jury Friday of plotting his murder. Stephen Woodward was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the premeditated first-degree murder of Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, the Lakeville Patch reports. Woodward apparently blamed Backstrom for a drug case that initially…

Dec 10, 2012 4:45 PM CST

New Security Measures Taken After 1,417 Oxycodone Pills Disappear from Courthouse Vault

One employee of the Palm Beach County court clerk and comptroller’s office was fired, another resigned and a third was reassigned after 1,003 Oxycodone pills being held as evidence in a criminal case disappeared from the courthouse vault. An additional 414 Oxycodone pills from two other criminal cases were found…

Nov 20, 2012 10:35 PM CST

Defendant Douses His Attorney As Jury Is About to Exit for Deliberations in Murder One Case

Updated: As the jury was about to file out of an Iowa courtroom around lunchtime on Monday to begin deliberations in a first-degree murder case, the defendant gave them something new to think about. Jerome Power, 50, grabbed a cup of water and poured it over the head of his…

Nov 20, 2012 4:23 PM CST

After a Year of Paid Leave, Texas Judge in Viral YouTube Video Posted By Daughter Returns to Bench

Recently reinstated by the Texas Supreme Court after a year of paid leave, a controversial Aransas County judge is about to go back on the bench. County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams is expected to be hearing cases again by Wednesday, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports. He was suspended after a…

Nov 12, 2012 7:25 PM CST

Officials Say Murder Defendant Slashed His Lawyer’s Face; Court Attack Was 2nd in County in 1 Week

A defendant in a California murder trial won a mistrial but faces a new attempted murder case after allegedly slashing his lawyer’s face with a makeshift weapon as the jury entered a Tulare County courtroom around 10 a.m. on Monday. Sheriff’s officials said assistant public defender John Shepard was not…

Nov 6, 2012 7:53 PM CST

Divorce Client’s Ex-Spouse Charged with Harassing Lawyer, Allegedly Sent Email re Unrelated Shooting

A Connecticut man was criminally charged last week after allegedly sending a threatening email to a Waterbury matrimonial lawyer who survived being shot four times by a client’s estranged husband in 2005 outside a state courthouse in Middletown. The shooter, who was a retired state trooper, shot and killed his…

Oct 15, 2012 4:30 PM CDT

Claimed $40K Contract Hit Attempt on Fed’l Judge, Prosecutor Creates New Trouble for Jailed Con Man

Updated: A New York man who was serving time in federal prison in New York after selling overpriced coins in a $40 million telemarketing scheme on Long Island and in South Florida is now facing new trouble. Joseph Romano is accused of plotting from his prison cell to hire a…

Oct 9, 2012 9:01 PM CDT