The crime-friendly judge Johanna Bender scolds the media to avoid criticism

King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender, a soft-spoken judge in Seattle, recently criticized the media for daring to criticize her reckless decisions. This came after she expressed her condolences – not to the grieving family of the victim, but to the family of an accused murderer. If anything, her comments are a reminder that she deserves it more Media monitoring, no less.

The Renton Police Department (RPD) and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) said 20-year-old K’Shawn Jimerson attacked 65-year-old military veteran Michael Gray from behind with a broom handle and then fatally stabbed him twice with a knife Knife. Jimerson said he was in self-defense, but surveillance footage showed he was the attacker.

At an initial hearing, King County District Court Judge Michele Gehlsen set bail at just $50,000, instead of the $2 million requested by the KCPAO. The low bail that Jimerson paid was widely condemned by the public, the media and the Renton police chief.

Days later, Jimerson was formally charged with second-degree murder and the surveillance footage was presented in court. KCPAO again requested $2 million bail, this time before Judge Johanna Bender. She still rejected the $2 million bail but offered $500,000. But before that, she expressed her frustration with the media and her sympathy for the wrong party.

Judge Johanna Bender has compassion for the suspect’s family – not the victim’s family

Before the judge’s decision, the suspect’s mother demanded that the media not show her son’s face. She said she was afraid of “vigilante justice.”

Judge Johanna Bender responded, according to Fox 13’s David Rose, who first reported the comments, by noting that the surveillance footage had already been distributed but that she was “compassionate” toward the suspect’s family because they were “facing a crisis “I have to fight.”

As Rose reported, Bender showed no sympathy for Gray’s family—the ones Strictly speaking experience a crisis. Unlike Jimerson’s mother, Gray’s family and friends will never see him again.

But then Bender revealed why she was sensitive: Critical coverage of her long history of soft decisions on crime led to “death threats” against her. She used this as an opportunity to scold the media.

“This hearing is not about me, but I want to let you know that I often receive death threats because of the decisions I make. This is equally frustrating to me because I’m trying to do my job and it shouldn’t be the responsibility of a member of the public to threaten my life because I’m trying to comply with the law. “So I am very empathetic to the situation the family is in as I have experienced it myself and I personally understand how frightening and disturbing it is, even more so when you are going through this incredibly traumatic time for the family.” Bender explained.

This is next level gaslighting.

Next comes the media abuse

It is patently inappropriate and illegal to send death threats to a judge because of her poor decisions. But the irony is that those accused of far worse crimes often receive the very sympathy that Judge Bender now expects from the public when they stand in her courtroom.

“I’m just doing my job, you’re dealing with a crisis. That’s a huge difference that I have great understanding for. I will also take this opportunity to editorialize and hope that the press will take seriously its obligation to tell the stories of what is happening in our courtroom in a fair and unbiased manner and will take all appropriate editorial measures to avoid influencing public sentiment to incite revenge.” she continued.

What audacity.

Bender isn’t just “doing her job” – she’s actively failing at it. Her bias becomes clear when she takes a lenient approach towards violent criminals. By portraying the criticism as a response to public outrage, she is attempting to manipulate the media into giving her a free pass. We shouldn’t do something like that. If anything, it hasn’t been criticized enough for its long history of treating suspects like victims.

Judge Johanna Bender has been dealing with dangerous suspects for a long time

After a man was accused of shooting a 65-year-old grandmother three times in front of her 10-year-old grandchild at an ATM in Covington in July, Bender set the suspect’s bond at just $50,000.

The grandmother is lucky to be alive and told FOX 13 her medical bills far exceed the low bail amount.

Months earlier, Bender had lowered bail from $1 million to $20,000 for an accused white supremacist who was allegedly involved in dumping the bodies of two murder victims. Bender argued that “there is no allegation of violent behavior in this case” against suspect Joshua Jones. They were not affected by his alleged concealment of evidence, his prior felony convictions, or the Department of Corrections (DOC) arrest warrant in effect at the time of the alleged crime.

Leniency towards suspects who are suspected of killing children

The KCPAO has charged Joseph Knoerr and Megan Smith, an Auburn couple, with first-degree manslaughter after their 1-year-old son died from fentanyl and methamphetamine poisoning. The medical examiner found drug paraphernalia in the boy’s intestines.

After a judge initially set bail at $2 million, Judge Bender lowered bail to $500.00 and placed Smith on electronic home monitoring.

Bender went easy on 18-year-old Chase Jones, who was accused of hitting and killing an adult and three children after allegedly running a red light at 110 mph. Jones has been involved in three serious accidents in the past year.

Although Bender claimed that he had “serious concerns” about the “extent of truly impulsive behavior alleged, combined with a very recent history of a similar pattern of behavior,” Bender reduced his bail from $1 million to $100,000 and electronic home surveillance. She based her decision on the fact that Jones was injured in the car accident.

“As Chase Jones sits comfortably at home watching Netflix, the broken bodies of Matilda, Eloise and Buster, three innocent children, lie side by side in fresh graves, never to return home to their families,” said Chase Wilcoxson, the father of Eloise and Matilda, told KOMO News. “As Chase Jones enjoys a meal at home with his loved ones, Andrea Hudson’s body lies in a freezer at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, waiting for the day when her children, Nolan and Charlotte, are well enough to attend her “To attend the funeral.”

Charged with assault on camera? You get a passport

Last year, Scot Witzel was charged by the King County District Attorney’s Office for allegedly stealing from the Nordstrom Rack in downtown Seattle. The suspect allegedly assaulted an employee who tried to stop him from leaving with stolen shoes and “made multiple threats to kill officers during his transport to jail.” The attack was captured on surveillance footage captured by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

The suspect’s criminal history included two arrest warrants since 2021 and “had warrant status from December 15, 2021 until his arrest in this case.”

Instead of setting bail and sending him to prison, Bender released Witzel on his own recognizance and ordered him to attend the Community Center for Alternative Programs Enhanced.

No, Judge Johanna Bender is not doing her job

While Judge Bender and other judges who don’t deal with crime claimed they were just doing their job and their hands were tied, these excuses are laughably weak.

These judges often point to Washington State Court Rule 3.2, which requires individuals to be released on their own recognizance. However, the rule specifically states that a judge can deny release if “there is a probable risk that the defendant will commit a violent crime.”

Judges have considerable discretion when setting bail amounts. They should consider criminal history, the seriousness of the charge and the risk to the public. Yet Bender regularly shows a lack of appreciation for all three.

Journalists would do well to ignore Bender’s apparent attempt to use alleged threats to avoid media scrutiny. It is absurd to suggest that anyone who sends death threats is motivated by journalists calling for tougher crime policies and higher bail for dangerous criminals. Anyone who makes such threats should expect the same scrutiny from the press that anti-crime judges like Bender receive.

Of all the judges whose scoldings should be ignored, Bender is at the top of the list – she constantly overlooks the threat posed by the suspects she coddles. Johanna Bender deserves it more Control, nothing less.

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