Two men have been charged in separate, unrelated cases involving threats against Bucks County Court of Common Pleas judges, authorities announced Tuesday.
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Timothy Alexander Murphy, 70, a retired attorney from Oakland, California, was preliminarily arraigned Tuesday on a single charge of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another.
An investigation launched last year after judicial staff members received threatening electronic communications, according to court papers.
The Bucks County Detectives traced the messages to a Yahoo email account belonging to Murphy, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
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The first email showed up on Dec. 11, 2025, and made references targeting the judge’s lifespan and an upcoming retention election. A second email following up on the initial message was received the next day, Dec. 12, 2025, officials said.
In a separate matter, 35-year-old state prison inmate Joseph D. Supik, of Forest County, was charged in connection with a threatening letter sent through the mail from behind bars, authorities said.
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The Bucks County Clerk of Courts received a letter postmarked July 6 from the State Correctional Institution-Huntingdon. The letter contained threats directed at four Bucks County Court of Common Pleas judges who had previously presided over criminal cases involving Supik.
Supik, according to court dockets, had previously pleaded guilty in a 2025 retaliation case and in a separate threats case. Both cases landed him with jailtime.
In his newest case, Supik faces four counts each of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another and retaliation against a judicial official.
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“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,” Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan said. “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.”
Security measures at the Justice Center have been heightened in recent years, with a pilot program underway to expand security at district courthouses.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
