Washington state woman who theatened to shoot, kill Texas judge sentenced

HOUSTON - A woman from Washington State has been sentenced after admitting to threatening a federal judge in Texas. 

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According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Texas, Elena Rose Markham, 34, pleaded guilty Wednesday to threatening to kill a U.S. District Judge.

Back in November 2021, court records claim a woman calling herself "Elena" left two voicemails on the judge's business line. In the messages, Markham indicated she was "upset her federal lawsuit was dismissed and made several, irrational claims regarding judges who were afraid to deal with certain cases."

At one point during the messages, Markham said, "What about a bullet in your head, maybe that’ll work." Additionally, prosecutors said Markham indicated she wasn't afraid and threatened to put liens on all federal judges and that judge, in particular, was "in her ‘war book’ and if she ever saw him in a tunnel, her 'team" would shoot him."

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During the hearing, a visiting U.S. District Judge, David Ezra, imposed a 19-month imprisonment term followed by a supervised release for three years. 

"Unlawful threats against our judiciary are an assault against our democracy," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a statement. "Our system of justice relies on the ability of personnel to do their jobs without fear of retribution. We will not stand for anyone making any kind of threat – but especially when those statements use language about bullets to the head and murder."