Vigil remembers former Juneau Co. judge fatally shot at home

June 12, 2022 12:07 AM

Logan Reigstad,

Posted: June 12, 2022 12:07 AM

by Logan Reigstad

MAUSTON, Wis. — Community members shaken by the deadly shooting of a former Juneau County judge gathered outside the county’s courthouse Saturday night to pay tribute to the man they said worked tirelessly to make his community a better place.

John Roemer, 68, was fatally shot inside his home in the town of New Lisbon on June 3.

The man accused of killing him, 56-year-old Douglas Uhde, was declared legally brain-dead roughly a day after the shooting. He was kept on life support so his organs could be donated, officials said.

Dozens attended Saturday night’s vigil, including organizer Karen Hedblom, who frequently covered Roemer’s courtroom as a newspaper reporter.

Hedblom was “devastated” when she heard the news of Roemer’s death.

“I was crying, I was listening on the scanner to the whole thing and I knew that it was somebody big,” she recalled, “and then somebody messaged me that lives in the subdivision and said it was Judge Roemer’s house.”

A vigil in memory of the former Juneau County judge shot to death in his home earlier this month just wrapped up in Mauston. Those who knew him urged the community to be kind to each other in his memory and remembered his legacy of helping others. @WISCTV_News3 @news8news pic.twitter.com/SODyvJDWWH

— Logan Reigstad (@loganreigstad) June 12, 2022

Speakers, including Roemer’s pastor and a judicial system colleague, remembered his faith and humor.

“I want people to know that he was a great man… and that he would want us to be kind to one another,” Hedblom said.

Court records show Roemer sentenced Uhde to prison in 2005. Uhde reportedly had a list of other high-profile targets, including Gov. Tony Evers and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.