A new Oklahoma District judge was caught using her cellphone during a murder trial of a man accused of beating a 2-year-old toddler to death. She is under investigation after security footage showed the jurist looking down at her phone scrolling on Facebook and responding to text messages.
New State Judge Is Under Investigation
The Oklahoma District Judge Traci Soderstrom, a 50-year-old was caught on security footage spending hours on her cellphone during her first trial for a man accused of beating his girlfriend’s son to death. The video also showed Traci Soderstrom setting her phone down in a drawer and taking notes.
The case involved a 32-year-old man Khristian Tyler Martzall who was accused of beating his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son Braxton Danker to death. She started the trial by telling the jury member to turn off all electronic devices so they could concentrate on the evidence without interruption but soon the Oklahoma District Judge Traci Soderstrom proceed to check her phone, according to the report from Insider.
The Oklahoma District Judge Traci Soderstrom used her phone throughout jury selection, opening statements, and witness testimony. Also, during a tearful testimony from Judith Danker, the victim’s mother. The judge was caught also searching and sending GIFs. According to Insider, District Attorney Adam Panter told Oklahoma said it is disappointing because jurors are banned from using cellphones in the courtroom during trials to give their full time and attention to the evidence being presented. At the end of the trial, the suspect Khristian Tyler Martzall was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and arrested and placed in jail since his arrest in 2018. Also, the victim’s mother Judith Danker took a plea deal in 2019 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on a charge of enabling or permitting child abuse.
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