California Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed county Conflict Counsel Kaleb Cockrum to step in as Humboldt County’s next superior court judge. Cockrum, 43, will step into the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Marilyn Miles, who retired in July. He is the third new judge Brown has appointed to the Humboldt County bench since […]
Kelly Neel
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Another One Leaves the Bench: Judge Feeney to Retire
Judge John T. Feeney today announced he is retiring effective Feb. 28 after more than 20 years on the bench in Humboldt County. Over the years, Feeney has presided over some of the region’s most notorious cases, including the 2016 murder trial of Gary Lee Bullock, who was convicted in the brutal torture death of […]
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Kelly Neel Tapped as Next Superior Court Judge
There’s a new judge in town. Gov. Jerry Brown just announced that he appointed Deputy Public Defender Kelly Neel to the Humboldt County Superior Court judgeship being vacated by Judge Timothy Cissna, who is retiring next month after nearly two decades on the bench. “I’m just speechless,” Neel said when reached by the Journal. “I […]
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Deputy Public Defenders Tell Supes New Boss is ‘Unqualified’
In an unprecedented move, all nine Humboldt County deputy public defenders sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors on Friday urging it to reconsider the recent hiring of their boss, Public Defender David Marcus. “We, the undersigned, write this letter to express our belief that David Marcus is not qualified for the position of […]
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Curry Sentenced in Pot Farm Slaying
A Humboldt County Superior Court judge sentenced Limmie Greg Curry III, 24, to serve 12 years in prison for the 2010 killing of William “Billie” Reed on a remote property off State Route 299, east of Blue Lake. On the eve of a second murder trial in the case, Curry pleaded guilty to a charge […]
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UPDATE: “Wild Bill’ Convicted of Deputy Shooting
UPDATE: A jury this afternoon convicted William “Wild Bill” Nelson of the attempted murder of a Humboldt County sheriff’s deputy, according to Assistant District Attorney Kelly Neel. Nelson shot deputy Bang Cao once in the chest as Cao was trying to serve a judge’s order forcing Nelson to move out of his girlfriend’s Shelter Cove […]