Chicago Judge Husband And Mother Murdered: What is the status of Bart Ross in the killings of Michael Lefkow and Donna Humphrey? Joan Lefkow, a federal court judge, was appalled to see a horrific sight when she returned home from work one day in 2005. Michael Lefkow and Donna Glenn Humphrey, her husband, and mother, were slain in her Chicago, Illinois, home. Investigation Discovery’s ‘People Magazine Investigates: Law & Murder’ follows a desperate man’s ultimate act of desperation.
The cause of death for Donna Glenn Humphrey is
Michael Lefkow, a 64-year-old lawyer, was a Civil Rights activist in the 1960s. He initially met Joan Humphrey in 1965, and the two married a decade later. The couple spent some time in Spain before returning to Chicago. Joan’s mother, Donna, was in town for a visit from Colorado at the time of the incident. When asked about her personal life, the 89-year-old described herself as a curious individual who was always prepared to provide a hand.
On February 28, 2005, Joan returned home from work to find her husband and wife murdered in the basement. They had been shot many times with a.22 caliber handgun, including once in the head. Police were called to the scene and seized shell casings, which were then analyzed for trace evidence, such as fingerprints. Just over a week later, a routine traffic check in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, would give an unexpected break in the case.
Joan had already ruled against Bart four times before eventually dismissing his case. He struggled for more than a decade to have his case heard, but he was unsuccessful. During that period, Bart declared that he had lost everything, including his family, his job, and his home. The dismissal was also upheld on appeal in January 2005. One of Bart’s suicide letters, discovered in his car, confessed to the deaths of Michael and Donna. It contained facts that only the murderer would have understood.
Michael and Donna Glenn were slain when and How
Joan’s previous cases were scrutinized by a federal judge to see if anyone had a grudge against her. White supremacist Matthew Hale, who had already been convicted of soliciting Joan’s murder and afterward sued her, was among them. While Matthew was apprehended, authorities searched the area for his companions. However, on March 9, 2005, an unexpected set of events led to the discovery of the true criminal.
The officer’s stop in West Allis, Milwaukee, that day was due to broken tail light. However, when the cops arrived, the car’s driver opened fire and killed himself. The driver was identified as Bart Ross, 57, a Polish immigrant formerly known as Bartlomiej Ciszewski. The investigators realized Bart was the assassin who killed Michael and Donna, and physical evidence linked him to the murders.
Joan was quickly discovered to have a condition, and she was the intended victim. After being diagnosed with head and neck cancer in the early 1990s, Bart got radiation treatment at the University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital. His teeth had to be removed due to the radiation before the cancer could spread. When the cancer returned, Bart had to have another surgery to remove a part of his jaw. He had, however, filed multiple medical malpractice claims over the years, alleging that the treatment had left him damaged.
Bart wrote letters to a local news station explaining his plot to murder Joan in the early hours of the morning. Michael shot him after he was discovered. Bart said he had shot Donna when Donna heard a gunshot. “I had a lot of time to think about life and death after I shot Judge Lefkow’s husband and mother,” the letter said. Even if I knew I was going to die, killing is still unpleasant. I walked out of Judge Lefkow’s residence around 1:15 p.m. on February 28, 2005, and put an end to my killing spree.”
Bart Ross: What Happened?
A West Allis police officer saw a van parked near a school on March 9, 2005, and decided to investigate. The driver, later identified as Bart, made an unlawful U-turn after a brief struggle with the other vehicle. The police officer saw that the vehicle’s tail light was damaged and pulled it over. The officer turned after hearing a gunshot and discovered Bart lying on the ground, shot in the head with a 9mm handgun. Joan felt “relieved” that her husband died because his death had nothing to do with the white nationalist movement. My husband and mother were tragically killed as a result of this.
The Chicago Tribune’s opinion section publishes op-eds from readers and professionals on current events. Opinion pieces indicate the author’s personal views, not necessarily those of the Chicago Tribune. In 2000, I was elected to the United States Supreme Court after serving as a federal judge in Illinois for more than a decade. Because I had dismissed his case, an assassin murdered my mother and husband in our Chicago home five years later. Another federal district judge was gunned down as she answered the door to a delivery person on the same day that Esther Salas and her family were enjoying a calm Sunday afternoon in their New Jersey home.
Her husband’s condition was critical yet stable. The gunman obtained Judge Salas’ home address via the internet. And I believe that’s where my house was as well. It’s a straightforward task to complete. As a result of the murders at my home, Congress gave the Marshals Service money to increase judicial protection services at courthouses and install home intrusion detection systems at judges’ homes. Your concern for our safety is much appreciated. Many things need to be updated, and the unfortunate death of Judge Salas demonstrates that the security of the judiciary must be reconsidered.
Federal judges to order redaction of personal information published
The good news is that bipartisan legislation to bolster our national security has recently been introduced in Congress. If the bill passes, data brokers will be prohibited from reselling judges’ personal information. A new federal law allows federal judges to order the redaction of personal information published on federal government websites, banning other businesses and individuals from publishing it if there is no legitimate news media interest or public concern. As a result, the Marshals Service can better identify potential threats, and home and courthouse security devices can benefit from technological developments.
We judges swear to carry out our duties “without fear” in our oath. We’re open to having our work reviewed and critiqued in any form. This will be beneficial to democracy. If an irate, focused litigant discovers a judge’s address, however, he suddenly has a direct line to the judge. I hope that by passing “Daniel’s Law,” named after Judge Salas’ son, our community and Congress would see the need for protection. Judge Salas and I, like federal judges, may be the last to lose members of our families to violence as a result of our country’s service.
The note recovered in the car also included the names of more judges who backed the dismissal. On the day Bart committed suicide, a parking ticket was issued near the Milwaukee federal courtroom; both of those judges worked there. The court’s CCTV system caught Barton’s camera. Physical evidence also connected the 57-year-old to the crime. One of Bart’s smokes and one of his shot casings were discovered in the Lefkow home, and their DNA matched.
