In a tragic incident, a Georgia state court judge took his own life in the courtroom following his reelection loss. Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, was discovered by a deputy on Tuesday morning in the Effingham County courtroom when the court was not in session.
This would have been his last day on the bench following an unsuccessful reelection run this year. Despite his attempt to resign from his position, Gov. Brian Kemp denied his resignation.
Yekel had a long-standing career in law, practicing for over 45 years.
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He also served as a special agent for Georgia’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit and worked as an investigator at the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. The governor appointed him to the state court position on June 22.
The father of four is believed to have taken his own life sometime on Monday night. In May, his ex-wife, Lisa, took to Facebook to dismiss rumors surrounding Yekel’s reelection run, including allegations about his infidelity, reports the Express US .