An Oklahoma judge who was caught scrolling on her phone during a murder trial against a man accused of beating his two-year-old son to death has resigned.
Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom resigned Friday after being investigated for inappropriate and insensitive behavior during a murder trial.
Soderstrom was caught sending more than 500 text messages and scrolling through Facebook during jury selection, opening statements and testimony in the trial of a man accused of fatally assaulting his girlfriend’s son .
Khristian Tyler Martzall was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for the 2018 death of Braxton Danker.
The toddler was found by Lincoln County officials with injuries all over his body, including broken bones and open wounds.
Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom resigned Friday after being investigated for inappropriate and insensitive behavior during a murder trial
Soderstrom was caught sending more than 500 text messages and scrolling through Facebook during jury selection, opening statements and testimony in the trial of a man accused of fatally assaulting his girlfriend’s son
Khristian Tyler Martzall was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for the 2018 death of Braxton Danker
Braxton’s mother Judith Danker, who testified at Martzall’s hearing, took a plea deal in 2019 after she was charged with murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison for enabling or permitting child abuse.
As Danker speaks tearfully on the stand, the Lincoln County District judge can be seen scrolling through her phone.
When Danker takes a tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose, the judge looks back for a moment before looking back at her phone.
A petition was filed in October citing text messages from Soderstrom in which she mocked attorneys, jurors and witnesses.
The filing said Soderstrom showed a distaste for prosecutors and appeared to favor the defendant — even complimenting the defense attorney.
The allegations against the judge include gross neglect of duty, gross bias in office and oppression in office, the filing said.
“I committed to ensuring that the law and procedures would be applied equally to both plaintiff and defendant,” Soderstrom said in the dismissal statement released by her attorney.
‘Despite almost every resistance, I believe I did that. But as a human being I have also failed.’
The Board noted that Sonderstrom and the bailiff engaged in a text message conversation during the trial, during which they mocked a prosecutor’s appearance and praised an attorney’s comments.
Some inappropriate texts stated that the prosecutor was “sweating through his coat.”
Another text read: ‘Why does he have baby hands? … They look so weird.”
The toddler was found by Lincoln County officials with injuries all over his body, including broken bones and open wounds
Judith Danker (pictured) took a plea deal in 2019 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for enabling or permitting child abuse
In text messages praising the lawyer, Sordstrom said, “She’s amazing,” and even asked, “Can I clap for her?”
Sordstrom gruesomely called one of the videos played by the witness “boring” and speculated that a juror was wearing a wig.
She said in a text message that due to a lack of DNA evidence, “there is no possibility of them being found guilty of murder.”
Sordstrom did not admit to any wrongdoing and released a statement saying she intended to take the allegations to court but changed her mind.
“My core beliefs and the variables that served me well as a lawyer – honesty, preparation, principles and passion – are better used as an advocate and not as a referee,” she wrote.
“The actions necessary to disseminate the information and hold every individual and elected official accountable for their actions require more than a judicial process.”
Sordstrom agreed not to seek another judicial position in Oklahoma.