Man Accused of Killing Former Judge Dies

Slain former judge John Roemer sentenced Douglas Uhde to prison in 2005
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2022 9:30 AM CDT
Updated Jun 7, 2022 6:13 PM CDT
Former Wisconsin Judge Killed in Targeted Attack
Juneau County Circuit Judge John Roemer is seen in this 2007 photo, in Wisconsin. Roemer was found killed in his home in New Lisbon, Wis., on Friday, June 3, 2022.   (Tom Loucks/Wisconsin Rapids Tribune via AP)

Update: The man accused of murdering a retired Wisconsin judge in a targeted killing Friday is dead. Officials say Douglas Uhde was declared brain-dead Saturday morning and was taken off life support Tuesday, CNN reports. The 56-year-old was found with what authorities say was apparently a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the New Lisbon home of former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer, who sentenced Uhde to prison 17 years ago. Investigators say Uhde killed Roemer and had a list in his vehicle of other potential targets, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, per the AP. Our story from Sunday follows:

A former Wisconsin judge is dead, and authorities say he was murdered in a targeted killing carried out by a man whose case appeared before him in court. Former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer, 68, was killed Friday in his New Lisbon home. NBC News reports a 911 call was made around 6:30am by a person who had fled the home and reported two shots being fired. CNN reports the Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team made their way into home after 10am and found Roemer dead and suspect Douglas K. Uhde in the basement with an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound." He has been hospitalized in critical condition.

Uhde, 56, has a 20-year criminal history in the state. CNN reports he was found guilty of armed burglary and firearms charges in 2002, and his case took years to resolve; in 2005, it came before Roemer. Court records show Roemer sentenced Uhde to six years in state prison; Uhde had pleaded no contest to the charges. "The individual who is the suspect appears to have had other targets as well," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul. "It appears to be related to the judicial system."

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A source tells ABC News the alleged gunman had a hit list of more than a dozen names, among them Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. NBC cites law enforcement as saying the hit list was found in the process of transporting Uhde to the hospital. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has this quote from Evers: "A judge from a rural county is targeted and murdered. It's abhorrent to our judiciary and to leadership in a state and a country. So yeah, it's a horrible situation. I grieve for him, I grieve for his family. And God ... we can do better than this in Wisconsin." (More targeted killing stories.)

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