CHICAGO, March 1 (UPI) -- The murder of a federal judge's husband and mother in Chicago might be the first family killing related to a federal judge's duties, officials said Tuesday.
Published reports said officials believe the killings might be linked with Judge Joan Lefkow's ruling last year that a white supremacist organization violated another group's copyright when it took the name "The World Church of the Creator." The leader of the group, Matthew Hale, was subsequently convicted of plotting to assassinate Lefkow.
"Yesterday's tragic murder of federal Judge Joan H. Lefkow's husband and mother in Illinois is deeply felt by the men and women of the United States Marshals Service, and we extend our sympathy to her and her family," officials said Tuesday.
The service and the Chicago police force are part of a task force investigating the murders.
"We are confident that the killer or killers of these individuals will be found and brought to justice," the service said in a statement.
Marshals protect federal judges, prosecutors and witnesses.
