by Seamus McGraw
(Continued)
Fugitive reportedly mentioned Weller in chilling phone call to cousin
In fact, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, just four minutes after the judge was shot, Mack called a cousin in Northern California and in a brief but chilling conversation told him; "If anything happens to me, don't forget your promise: Put out to the press the word on Judge Weller."
Authorities believe that there is evidence to suggest that Mack may have blamed the judge for the problems he was having in his divorce and may have been behind a campaign to discredit, and perhaps even harass the jurist. Among other things, according to published reports, Mack is suspected of being responsible for placing a blind ad in a local newspaper for a motorcycle auction, which, the ad claimed was to have been held at the unsuspecting judge's house at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning and drew scores of bikers.
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| Judge Weller |
In a statement to reporters, Weller's spokesman said the incident "underscores how dangerous it is for jurists to do their jobs," and noted that the judge had been warned that Mack might have been mounting an Internet campaign to discredit him.
There is no doubt that Mack had targeted Weller, at least for embarrassment. Well before the shooting, Mack and another man approached a local television station with documents that they claimed proved that Weller was a biased jurist who, they claimed gave preferential treatment to his campaign donors.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Mack's cousin laid the blame for his potentially violent outburst squarely on the pressure of the divorce. He described Mack as "the kindest, gentlest, nonviolent person you would ever want to meet... a loving father, a good man. Obviously, if he's responsible for this — and there's every indication that he is — you're looking at a man of the finest character who was made to snap and break."
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