Georgia Judge Dies by Suicide in Courtroom

A judge was found dead in a Georgia courtroom on what would have been the final day of his term. The Effingham County Sheriff's office says State Court Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, was found dead Tuesday morning from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, Fox 5 reports. They believe he took his own life Monday night or Tuesday morning at the Effingham County Courthouse, north of Savannah. "The family's distraught," said Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie. "It's supposed to be a happy time this time of year and now they've got this."

Yekel, who mainly presided over preliminary criminal matters, was admitted to the state bar in 1976 and was appointed to the bench two years ago by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, NBC News reports. He lost his election bid in a runoff earlier this year. In a Dec. 2 letter to Kemp, he asked to resign effective Dec. 30, the day before his term was up, but the request was rejected. (More judge stories.)