Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr.
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Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr. is a judge on the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas in Steubenville, Ohio. He joined the court in 1998.[1] Bruzzese was re-elected in 2014, winning a term that expired on February 8, 2021.
Bruzzese was shot the morning of August 21, 2017, while entering the Jefferson County Courthouse in Steubenville. Bruzzese was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh for his injuries, where he underwent surgery. He returned to the bench on October 5, 2017. Click here for more information about the shooting and aftermath.
Biography
Bruzzese received both his undergraduate degree and his J.D. from Ohio Northern University.[2]
Elections
2014
See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2014
Bruzzese ran for re-election to the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas.
General: He was unopposed in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[3]
Noteworthy events
Attacked by gunman outside courthouse (2017)
Bruzzese was shot the morning of August 21, 2017, while entering the Jefferson County Courthouse in Steubenville.[4] Bruzzese sustained injuries and was med-flighted to a hospital in Pittsburgh. The judge underwent surgery and was "doing fine" later on the same day, according to City Manager Jim Mavromatis.[5] Bruzzese returned to the bench on October 5, 2017.[6]
The county prosecutor announced that Nathaniel Richmond was the shooter on the afternoon of August 21. Richmond's son, Ma’lik, was one of two high school students convicted of raping an unconscious 16-year-old girl in 2012. Bruzzese was not the judge who handled that case, and the county prosecutor said officials did not believe there was a connection between the shooting and Ma’lik's case. Nathaniel Richmond had a criminal record and had previously appeared in court before Bruzzese.[7]
At the time of the shooting, Richmond had a civil case pending before Bruzzese. In April 2017, he filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority (JMHA) on behalf of his mother, who died in a house fire in 2015. His mother was leasing the house from JMHA, and Richmond claimed JMHA had been aware of defects in the house's electrical wiring and smoke detectors.[8] Richmond's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case on August 25, 2017.[9]
According to law enforcement officials, Richmond attacked the judge in what they described as an "ambush" at approximately 8:00 a.m. Both Bruzzese and a probation officer who was behind the judge fired back at Richmond, who died from the probation officer's shots. Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said in a morning press conference that the judge drew a gun and fired five or more rounds. The sheriff also said, "This individual laid in wait for our judge... First thing on Monday morning, you have a judge shot in front of his courthouse... This was an ambush and an attempted murder on our judge." Sheriff Abdalla added that he had urged Judge Bruzzese years earlier to carry a gun and said in the press conference, "With all the nuts running around, I encouraged him to get a weapon. And he did."[10]
There was another man with Richmond who did not get out of the car. The passenger was hit by a ricochet bullet and taken to the hospital. The sheriff said the passenger was not considered a suspect. He was interviewed in the hospital and said he had not been aware of what Richmond was doing. He said they had been drinking the night before and Richmond said he had to be in court early the next day.[11]
Bruzzese issued a statement on September 6, 2017, thanking family, friends, police enforcement, the community, and others.[12]
| “ | The citizens of Jefferson County are to be commended for their response to this tragedy. We are saddened by the fact that a life was lost and offer our condolences for the grief the Richmond family is experiencing. In our community, people came together to protect one another, and we will all be stronger for that.[13] | ” |
| —Judge Joseph Bruzzese[12] | ||
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official Website: Judiciary Election Roster 2009-2010"
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Judge Profile: Joseph J. Bruzzese, Jr." accessed August 21, 2017
- ↑ Jefferson County Board of Elections, "Primary Election - May 6, 2014, For the Democratic Party," accessed March 4, 2014
- ↑ NBC News, "Ohio Judge Shot Outside Courthouse in Apparent Ambush-Style Attack", August 21, 2017
- ↑ The Weirton Daily Times, "UPDATE 5: Bruzzese ‘doing fine’ in hospital after shooting, investigation ongoing," August 21, 2017
- ↑ WCBE.org, "Ohio Judge Shot Last August Returns To The Bench," October 7, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "Ohio judge shot in ‘ambush’ outside courthouse, attacker killed," August 21, 2017
- ↑ Herald-Star, "Nathaniel Richmond had civil case pending before Bruzzese," August 22, 2017
- ↑ FOX 8, "Lawsuit overseen by Ohio judge who was shot is dismissed," August 28, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "Ohio judge shot in ‘ambush’ outside courthouse, returns fire at attacker," August 21, 2017
- ↑ Herald-Star, "UPDATE 3: Sheriff says Bruzzese’s handling of gun helped fend off attack," August 21, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 WTOV9, "From Judge Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr., and Family," September 6, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio
State courts:
Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims
State resources:
Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio
