Father of Ohio High School Football Player Convicted of Rape Shoots Judge

The man who shot and wounded a judge outside a county courthouse before being shot dead by a probation officer was the father of a Steubenville High School football player who was convicted of rape in 2013, authorities said on Monday.

Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr was shot at around 8am near the courthouse in Steubenville, just across the Ohio River from West Virginia’s northern panhandle, roughly 30 miles west of Pittsburgh.

Authorities identified the gunman as Nathaniel “Nate” Richmond, father of Ma’Lik Richmond, who served about 10 months in a juvenile lockup after being convicted with another Steubenville High School football player of raping a 16-year-old girl at an alcohol-fueled party in 2012.

{snip}

Investigators were still looking for a motive in the shooting and had not found a connection to the rape case, said Jefferson County prosecutor Jane Hanlin. A visiting judge from Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is located, handled the vast majority of the rape case.

{snip}

Steubenville city manager James Mavromatis told WTOV-TV that Bruzzese spoke after being wounded. He was flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. Republican governor John Kasich said he was told the judge would survive.

The attack had to be intentional because people know about the reserved spots where judges park, said one of Bruzzese’s judicial colleagues.

Judge Joseph Corabi said he and the county’s two other judges park in reserved spots next to the courthouse. Judges then walk a few feet down “Courthouse Alley” to a side entrance to the building, said Corabi, the Jefferson County juvenile and probate court judge.

“Everybody knows who parks there. That’s why it’s not an accident what happened. He was clearly an intended target,” Corabi said.

Ma’Lik Richmond is currently on the Youngstown State football team but is not allowed to play in any games, the school said earlier this month in responding to criticism surrounding his participation.

{snip}