Man Accused Of Killing Wisconsin Judge Is Dead

NEW LISBON, WI — A man believed to have killed a judge who sentenced him to prison more than a decade ago has died, according to authorities.

Douglas K. Uhde, 56, died Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Uhde had been brain dead since Saturday but was kept on life support to allow for organ donation, a department news release said.

Uhde is thought to have targeted Judge John Roemer, who was found fatally shot and zip-tied to a chair Friday in his New Lisbon home, according to authorities, who said Uhde was discovered in the basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police tried to negotiate with him.

Roemer sentenced Uhde to six years in prison in 2005 in connection with an armed burglary case, according to court records. Roemer's killing was part of a "hit list" that included Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, law enforcement said.

Roemer, who was 68, retired in 2017. He was first elected in 2004 and was re-elected in 2010 and 2016. Before his time as a judge, he was an assistant district attorney for Juneau County and an assistant state public defender. He also worked in private practice and served as a lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Army Reserves.