A Georgia state judge has died by suicide on his official last day on the job.
The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office said that Judge Stephen Yekel appeared to have “died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at the Effingham County Courthouse, Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie, told local ABC affiliate WJCL.
Police officials say they believe that Yekel died by suicide sometime last night, but was found between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning by a sheriff’s deputy in a courtroom.
Representatives from the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office shared a news release with PEOPLE confirming that they conducting the investigation into Judge Yekel’s death and that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will conduct the autopsy.
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WJCL reported that Yekel recently attempted to resign from his position after losing his reelection bid earlier this year — but was denied by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
When asked by the outlet to confirm the information, McDuffie acknowledged the resignation attempt did indeed occur “one day last week.” The sheriff also confirmed that a note from Yekel was sent to Gov. Kemp, but it has not been determined exactly what the note contains.
Speaking directly to Yekel’s family in the interview, McDuffie offered his condolences.
“This is never good for anybody, the family’s distraught. This is supposed to be a happy time this time of year, and now they’ve got this. I can’t imagine. If they have anything they need from us, we’ll be available,” he said.
Yekel, whose law career spanned over 45 years, was appointed to the state court by Gov. Kemp in 2022, local NBC affiliate WSAV reported.
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