The story get's a little convoluted so I'll let Dustin Grove of WSBT-TV who wrote the report sort it out for you: "Judge Koethe said her husband wouldn't listen to her so she walked into the bedroom and wrote a note, described as a highly personal note, telling her husband exactly how she felt about their marriage and financial issues.Defense attorney Mike Tuszynski said Koethe did not view the note as relevant to the case. 'The damage was already done,' he said. 'So whether or not anyone ever sees the note it doesn't fix, repair, or hide what happened ... The note was of no consequence in her mind.' Then she said 'I decided to take out my handgun and lay on the floor with it ... to make him pay attention. It was so stupid. I absolutely have — other than the alcohol — I have no excuse for doing it.'
On the stand, Koethe said she didn't recall asking the officer to get rid of the note, but 'if he says he did, then I believe him.'
'Did you intend to ask him (the officer) to break the law?' asked Tuszynski. 'Absolutely not,' said Koethe.
She says her husband walked in, she got up, and they talked and made up. As she went to bed though and started to fall asleep, she turned over and saw the gun. She went to put it up and that's when she says the gun went off. She says she did not pull the trigger intentionally. Her husband called 911. The wound wasn't life-threatening.
But here's where the crux of the criminal accusation comes it. A police officer says, in the hospital, Koethe asked him to get rid of that note she had written. She said on the stand 'I'd just been elected as judge I didn't want anyone to know we were having financial issues.'"
A conviction for obstruction of justice is a career-ender for Judge Koethe. We'll keep our Bad Lawyer eyes on this tale of marital woe compounded by alcohol, guns and bad luck.
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