Credit: Friends of Tina Davis
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has charged two men in separate and unrelated cases in which five Court of Common Pleas judges were the subject of threats.
In one case, Timothy Alexander Murphy, 70, a retired California attorney, was arraigned Tuesday on one count of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, stemming from threatening emails sent to the staff of a Bucks County Common Pleas judge.
The investigation, according to court records, began after staff members for the judge received threatening electronic communications. Investigators determined the emails originated from Murphy’s Yahoo email account.
The first email, District Attorney Joe Khan said, was received on Dec. 11, 2025, containing threats referencing the judge’s upcoming retention election and lifespan. A second email following up on the communication was received the following day.
In a second case, state correctional inmate Joseph D. Supik was charged with sending a threatening letter mailed from prison. According to a criminal complaint, clerk of courts received a letter postmarked July 6, 2026, which originated from State Correctional Institution-Huntingdon. The letter contained threats directed at four Common Pleas judges who had presided over the defendant’s previous criminal cases in Bucks County.
Credit: Lower Bucks Hospital
Supik was charged with four counts each of retaliation against a judicial official and terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another. He was convicted of terroristic threats in 2025 and was sentenced to up to 48 months in a state penitentiary.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan condemned both sets of allegations, saying “I am grateful to our investigators and attorneys for acting swiftly to protect not only the targets of these threats but our legal system itself. Our democracy requires having courts where we settle disputes with law and evidence rather than threats or brute force. We have zero tolerance for violence or intimidation against judges or others who are sworn to administer justice and uphold the law.”
Bucks County Detective Timothy Johnson investigated the Murphy case, which is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Megan Stricker. The Supik case was investigated by Bucks County Detective Ronald MacPherson and is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Andrew Bukowski.