SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Greene County jury has convicted a Springfield man of threatening a local judge in separate courtroom incidents last year, sending a stark message about the consequences of targeting members of the judiciary.
On Feb. 18, 2026, jurors in Greene County Circuit Court found Aden Xavier Warr Harper guilty on two counts of tampering with a judicial officer, a Class D felony, following a two-day trial that laid bare threatening statements he made toward a judge during court proceedings.
The offenses occurred during hearings on April 23 and April 30, 2024. In the first incident, Harper — appearing via video from the Greene County Jail — directed vulgar and threatening remarks toward the judge after his request for a civil protection order was denied, warning that the judge and his family would “get what they deserve” and offering his “condolences” to the judge’s family.
On April 30, in a separate hearing, Harper again threatened the judge, telling him that if he did not recuse himself, he could “send word out to the streets” to have civilians pursue and “arrest” the judge and suggesting he might “use deadly force” against the judge or his family…