Warning: This article may contain some distressing information.
A Georgia judge has tragically ended his life inside a courtroom on his last day in the office.
The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office has announced that the body of Judge Stephen Yekel was discovered inside Effingham County State Court on Tuesday (December 31) morning, WJCL reported.
He is believed to have “died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head, Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie revealed to the publication.
Police officials have disclosed that the 74-year-old – who had recently lost a re-election bid – died by suicide at night, but was found between 10AM and 10:30AM on Tuesday by a sheriff’s deputy in a courtroom on what would have been his last day on the bench, WSAV reports.
In a press release, representatives from the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they are leading the investigation into Judge Yekel’s death, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will conduct the autopsy.
“The Effingham County Board of Commissioners and staff are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Judge Steve Yekel at the Effingham County Courthouse today and we offer our condolences to his family and loved ones,” a statement from the county read, cited by Daily Mail.
The late judge, who was admitted to the state bar in 1976 and held a strong professional standing throughout his career, presided over preliminary criminal matters and other cases in Springfield.
According to NBC News, Yekel sent a resignation letter to Gov. Brian Kemp on December 2, citing his disappointment with the low turnout for the election he lost.
He reportedly asked for the effective date of his resignation to be December 30, one day before the end of his term. “I feel that the office of State Court Judge of Effingham is too important to be decided by only 6% of the eligible voters of Effingham County,” he said in the letter, per the outlet.
Kemp rejected Yekel’s request, saying the results of a fair election “should not be nullified on the basis of manufactured legal technicality”.
A spokesperson for Kemp, the governor who appointed Yekel to the state court position in June 2022, declined to comment on the investigation but said “Judge Yekel’s family and loved ones are in all our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time”.
McDuffie also offered his condolences to Yekel’s loved ones, stating: “This is never good for anybody, the family’s distraught. This is supposed to be a happy time this time of year, and now they’ve got this. I can’t imagine. If they have anything they need from us, we’ll be available,” per PEOPLE.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this loss.
