A Racine County inmate is facing a fresh felony after authorities say he threatened to kill the circuit court judge overseeing his open case, telling a corrections officer he planned to “gun down” the judge when he got to court. Richard Paul, 68, remains locked up in Racine as prosecutors tack on a new count of threatening to cause bodily harm.
According to court records, the alleged threats came on March 25 and were captured on a correctional officer’s body-worn camera, FOX6 News Milwaukee reports. The criminal complaint says Paul used profanity and told the officer, “I’ve got nothing to lose,” before allegedly describing violence he said he would carry out in the courthouse. Prosecutors responded by charging him with threatening to cause bodily harm to a judge in a complaint filed in Racine County Circuit Court.
What The Complaint Says
The complaint states Paul became increasingly agitated after being told the jail could not print the court records he had requested. That is when, investigators say, he turned his anger toward the judge. Detectives reviewed the officer’s body camera footage before filing the complaint, according to FOX6.
The filing also notes Paul’s criminal history, stating he was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in two separate cases in 1980 and has spent large portions of the years since in custody. Prosecutors included brief excerpts of Paul’s alleged comments in the complaint to support the new charge.
Legal Implications
According to the Wisconsin State Law Library, threats targeting judges fall under Chapter 940’s special-circumstances provisions and can be charged as distinct offenses when tied to a judge’s official duties. Before any enhanced penalties can stick, prosecutors still have to prove the words were a “true threat,” meaning language that a reasonable person would see as expressing a serious intent to cause harm. That legal threshold is expected to be central if the district attorney moves forward with the new indictment.
Jail, Courthouse And Next Steps
Paul is currently being held at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center. The criminal complaint notes that the law enforcement center and the Racine County Courthouse share Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Racine.
According to the complaint, Paul is scheduled to make his initial appearance on the new charge on March 30. The Racine County District Attorney’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This is a developing case and more details are expected to emerge as additional court filings and official statements are released.
