A retired Wisconsin judge was found dead in his home on Friday morning, and police shared that the suspected killer is a man who was sentenced to six years in prison by the judge in 2005, court records show.
The judge, John Roemer, 68, worked in Juneau County Circuit Court and was found in his Township of New Lisbon home in zip ties on Friday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice and law enforcement.
His alleged killer is Douglas K. Uhde, 56, who is also believed to have created a hit list with several prominent politicians on it.
Uhde had suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He is currently in the hospital in critical condition, according to the department.
Uhde was sentenced to spend six years in prison on a charge of armed burglary with a dangerous weapon, Wisconsin Circuit Court Records say. He had pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced by Roemer.
Records also show that Uhde was charged with possessing a short-barreled shotgun rifle, carrying a concealed weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Friday, at approximately 6:30 a.m., police were notified by a caller who had left Roemer's home that an armed person was there, and two gunshots were fired. The caller contacted the Juneau County Sheriff's Office from a nearby house, police reported.
Deputies arrived and found Uhde in the home when they attempted to negotiate with him, but they were unsuccessful. At 10:17 a.m., a response team entered the house and found the judge's body in the basement, reportedly tied up with zip ties. The sheriff's office reported that a firearm was recovered from the scene.
The killing of Roemer solicited a comment from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who told WTMJ that the judge's killing was "abhorrent to our judiciary."
"I mean, the idea that, as I said before, a judge from a rural county is targeted and murdered, it's just abhorrent to our judiciary and to leadership in our state and our county," Evers said. "It's a horrible situation. I grieve for him. I grieve for his family. And God, we can do better than this in Wisconsin."
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul shared that Uhde "appears to have had other targets" during a press conference. However, he did not give any further information.
"It appears to be related to the judicial system," Kaul said. "At this point, we are not aware of any evidence indicating that there is any active danger to other individuals. Those who may have been other targets have been notified of that."
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