A Georgia state judge commited suicide inisde the Effingham County courthouse on Monday night.
Effingham County Sheriff’s office reported Judge Steve Yekel, 74, was found dead inside the Effinham County courthouse from an apparent suicide from a gunshot wound.
Newsweek reported, before his death Yekel wrote a resignation to Governor Brian Kemp just hours before his death.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating Yekel’s suicide.
Wait, he felt his resignation should've been accepted by Kemp? To circumvent the will of the voters and have a judge appointed instead? Due to low voter turnout in a run-off. Not very honorable for a judge of 45 yearshttps://t.co/frjZvdV0lX
— Tupelo Honey (@toomanynewfies) December 31, 2024
The late Effingham County State Court Judge Steve Yekel, who was defeated in a runoff election in June of this year, sent a resignation letter dated December 6, 2024, to Governor Kemp with an effective date of December 30, 2024, the day before he was found in the Effingham County… https://t.co/zhDHzzb3jS pic.twitter.com/wHf2VdbISU
— Holly Kesler (@hmkesler) December 31, 2024
Per Newsweek:
Georgia state court judge died by suicide at the courthouse Monday night after leaving a letter to Governor Brian Kemp, according to an Effingham County Sherrif’s Office post on Facebook.
ADVERTISEMENTNewsweek reached out to the Springfield Police Department by email and the Effingham County Sheriff’s office by phone call for comment on Friday. The Georgia FBI told Newsweek they are not involved at this time.
State Court Judge Steve Yekel, 74, died Monday and was found between 10 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday by a deputy. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that Yekel appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a courtroom inside the Effingham County Courthouse.
Local news outlet WTOC obtained a letter from Kemp’s office in which Yekel wrote to the governor attempting to resign from his position on December 30, one day before his term was set to end. The letter was penned on December 6.
The body of Judge Stephen Yekel was discovered inside Effingham County State Court on Tuesday morning. He is believed to have shot himself dead.
Yekel, 74, had recently lost a bid for re-election and was found by a deputy on what would have been his last day on the bench, WSAV… https://t.co/16p0qdViE5 pic.twitter.com/SDaE9LSbK8
— Qᴀɢɢ.ɴᴇᴡꜱ (@qaggnews) December 31, 2024
Per WISTV:
A Georgia judge was found dead inside a courtroom on New Year’s Eve, according to officials.
WTOC reports State Court Judge Steve Yekel died by suicide at the Effingham County courthouse.
According to Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie, Yekel passed away Monday night and was found between 10-10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning by a deputy.
Sheriff McDuffie says Yekel appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though an autopsy will be performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to confirm.
The sheriff’s office will be in charge of the investigation.
