Judge's slain mother remembered at funeral

$1 billion lawsuit
Lefkow last fall dismissed a rambling $1 billion lawsuit in which Ross claimed that cancer treatments had disfigured his face and that the U.S. judicial system, which dismissed his medical malpractice claims, “is the Nazi style criminal and violator” of his civil rights. Lefkow’s ruling was upheld by a federal appeals court in January.

Ross, a 57-year-old Polish immigrant with no known ties to extremist groups, shot himself to death on a suburban Milwaukee street after an officer pulled him over for broken brake lights.

“We came upon a note, written presumably by the victim, where he implicated himself in the murders of Michael Lefkow and Donna Humphrey,” Cline said. “In the note, the offender outlined in some detail the events of Monday, February 28th.”

“We’re satisfied that there’s information in the letter that would point us to Ross being in Lefkow’s house,” he said.

Letter to TV station
Besides the suicide note, police were reviewing a handwritten letter received by WMAQ-TV on Thursday and signed by a Bart Ross; the writer described breaking into the Lefkow home before dawn on Feb. 28 with a plan to kill the judge.

The letter said he killed Lefkow’s husband and mother around 9 a.m. after they discovered him hiding in the basement.

“After I shot husband and mother of Judge Lefkow, I had a lot of time to think about life and death. Killing is no fun, even though I knew I was already dead. I gave up further killings on about 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2005, and left Judge Lefkow’s house,” the station quoted the letter as saying.

Ross also sent WMAQ a typed letter outlining his lawsuit.

MORE FROM CRIME & COURTS

Crime & courts Section Front

Calif. immigration sweep nets 280 arrests Woman, 98, indicted in centenarian’s death Mom of Ohio suspect: Pipe bombs his hobby Mom sobs at account of Fla. girl’s death Man accused of dragging woman by hair Cops: Artist’s son tries to rob museum Student, 18, wounded in shooting at La. school ‘Too many guns’ says NYC mayor after shootout One year later, Madoff case is far from over US state executes man who killed wife, 2 relatives Crime & courts Section Front   Add Crime & courts headlines to your news reader: