A retired California attorney is accused of sending threatening emails to a Bucks County Common Pleas judge.
Bucks County Detectives charged Timothy Murphy, 71, of Oakland, with misdemeanor terroristic threats in connection with emails he sent to a judicial staff member last December.
He was arraigned before District Judge Mark Douple on Oct. 13 and released on unsecured bail. He had no legal representative listed as of Oct. 14, according to the court docket.
In the first email, Murphy allegedly wrote about the judge’s upcoming retention election and suggested he not seek re-election, according to the probable cause affidavit.
“Tell (judge’s name) not to make the mistake and try and get another term. I don’t think he’ll live through the experience.
I imagine there are many people out there who would like to shorten his lifespan…and have the retention election date on their calendars,” Murphy allegedly wrote.
In a second email, Murphy allegedly made insulting comments about the judge’s online court instructions.
A subsequent investigation found the emails originated from Murphy's Yahoo email account, the affidavit said.
Crime and Courts Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Retired attorney accused of threatening Bucks County judge in email
