Georgia Judge Found Dead in Courthouse

Judge Stephen Yekel of the Effingham County State Court was discovered by a sheriff’s deputy in the courthouse on Tuesday morning.

A judges gavel rests on top of a desk in a courtroom in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 3, 2009. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A state court judge in Georgia was found dead in a county courtroom on Tuesday morning from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a local sheriff.

Judge Stephen Yekel, 74, of the Effingham County State Court was discovered by a sheriff’s deputy in the courthouse between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. The court was not in session at the time of the incident.