October 30, 2003

Judge assigned in court shooting case

A judge has been named to preside over the trial of Susan Berkovitz, the St. Paul woman accused of shooting one person dead and injuring another at the Hennepin County Government Center on Sept. 29.

Hennepin County District Judge Thor Anderson was assigned the case Thursday, officials said. Hearings are expected to be held at the county's new Family Justice Center, which features security screening, so the case will not be held in the same building where the shootings took place, officials added.

Berkovitz was indicted earlier this month on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. She was arrested shortly after the shootings on the 17th floor of the Government Center outside a courtroom.

Killed was Berkovitz's cousin Shelley Joseph-Kordell. Injured was Joseph-Kordell's attorney, Richard Hendrickson. Berkovitz and Joseph-Kordell were involved in a long-running dispute over the estate of Berkovitz's parents.
— Phillip Piña

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