An Illinois circuit court judge was gunned down outside his home earlier this week as his wife was arrested and charged with his murder.
The body of Illinois Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge Michael J. Valentine was discovered fatally shot outside of his Albion, Illinois during a wellness check on Nov. 5.
The Edwards County Sheriff’s Office were called to the Valentine’s home on the 1100 block of County Road 600 in Albion, Ill. at around 12:14 p.m. when they made the disturbing find, the Illinois State Police said.
Valentine, 43, had been the resident circuit judge for Edwards County since he was elected to the position in 2016. He was reelected in 2022.
Before his time on the bench, Valentine served as the county’s State’s Attorney for eight years, according to his online obituary.
Valentine had served as a Chicago EMT and was a part of the Albion Fire Department.
He earned his law degree from Southern Illinois University before becoming a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Judges Association.
Valentine’s family remembered him as a “good and fair judge, who helped many he served” and as loving son and a loving father.
He leaves behind his son and daughter, his parents, and several relatives.
Valentine’s wife, Megan S. Valentine was charged with first-degree murder following the discovery of his body.
She was also slapped with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated domestic battery.
In her first court appearance on Nov. 8, the suspected killer’s defense attorney did not object to Megan Valentine remaining in custody until her next court date on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m., according to court records viewed by The Post.
She is being held at the White County Jail in Carmi, Ill. 25 miles south of Albion.
Police did not reveal any information or motive that led to the fatal shooting.
Judge Valentine was first elected to his post in 2016 and was re-elected in 2022.
Valentine previously served as the Edwards County State’s Attorney.
The resident circuit judge of Edwards County was remembered by his fellow Second Circuit judges as a “distinguished jurist” with a “commitment to public service.”
“On behalf of all of the judges of the Second Judicial Circuit, we are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our colleague and friend, Edwards County Resident Judge Michael J. Valentine,” the court system said.
“Judge Valentine was a distinguished jurist who was determined in the pursuit of justice and his compassion and conduct earned him the confidence and respect of the people who appeared before him. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.”
Michael Valentine is the latest jurist to be killed this year.
In Sept. Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Shawn Stines was arrested and charged with killing District Judge Kevin Mullins after a dispute inside the courthouse.
Stines, 43, is accused of killing the 54-year-old Mullins at his Whitesville courthouse, leaving the jurist riddled with bullets in the office where he’d served for 15 years.
A camera inside Mullins’ office captured the shocking shooting.
Stiles’ defense attorney claimed the fatal shooting wasn’t planned and his client’s charges should be reduced from murder to manslaughter.
“It was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion,” Jeremy Bartley told People.
