Chicago Judge Killed in Early Morning Shooting

Police say a veteran Cook County Circuit Court judge was killed by an assailant Monday and another woman who was with him was wounded in the shooting. Associate Judge Raymond Myles, 66, and an unidentified 52-year-old woman were found outside of his home on Chicago’s south side at 4:50 a.m. A neighbor told the Chicago Tribune she believes the two were up at that hour to go work out. Myles suffered several gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The woman was wounded in the leg and was hospitalized in serious condition. Myles joined the court in 1999 when the Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to fill a vacancy. He has been with the criminal division of the court since 2009. “I have always known Judge Myles to be focused and determined in the pursuit of justice, and his conduct earned him the confidence and respect of the people who appeared before him,” said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans in a statement.

Dylann Roof Receives Nine Life Sentences in State Case

Charleston massacre gunman Dylann Roof pled guilty to the killing of nine worshippers attending an evening bible study at Emanueal A.M.E. church in 2015. In response, Judge J.C. Nicholson gave the White supremacist nine life sentences for each of the victims. The plea, which was announced last month, eliminates a state trial and sends Roof to federal custody where he will await capital punishment. He was convicted of 33 counts in the shooting in January and was later sentenced to death. Relatives of the victims have said they were relieved that they would be spared the emotional stress of a new trial. It is unclear when a date for execution for Roof will be set.

Egypt Placed Under State of Emergency After Church Bombings

Egyptian president President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi imposed a three-month state of emergency in the country in response to the suicide bombings of two Coptic Christian churches, which killed 45 people. The Palm Sunday bombings struck churches in the port city of Alexandria, the historic seat of Christendom in Egypt, and the city of Tanta. The head of the Coptic church, Pope Tawadros II, had been inside St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria when the bomber struck there but was unhurt. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks and identified the two attackers with names suggesting they were Egyptians.

Man Charged in Cincinnati Nightclub Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

A judge in Hamilton County, Ohio, ordered 27-year-old Cornell Beckley held on $1.7 million bond in connection with a Cincinnati nightclub shooting last month that left two dead and 15 others injured. Beckley pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and three dozen other charges. He was initially arrested on a murder charge in the March 26 incident, but a grand jury later added charges including involuntary manslaughter, inducing panic, and felonious assault. A pretrial hearing was set for April 21, with a tentative trial date of May 30, according to the Associated Press. The violence stemmed from a conflict between two groups who ran into each other at the nightclub, Cameo. The club was shut down after the shooting.