Judge apparent target of Pa. court graffiti threat

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Allegheny County sheriff is investigating what could be a death threat against a county judge spray-painted on the outside of the courthouse in Pittsburgh.

Sheriff William Mullen says it’s unclear who is targeted because two of the four words found in red paint today were garbled. The legible words are “judge” and “die,” and the two other words begin with the letters “ma” but are unclear. The county has judges named Manning and Mariani and both have been notified.

Judge Jeffrey Manning has a reputation as being tough on criminals, but says he’s not concerned. He says the painting is “malicious mischief” but “do I constitute this as a threat? No.”

Nobody has been charged. County workers were scrubbing off the paint today.