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Man pleads guilty to charges after saying he wanted Denver judge 'violently murdered'

Eric Brandt.jpg
Posted at 11:56 AM, Apr 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-27 13:07:58-04

UPDATE | April 27 — Eric P. Brandt was sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple felony charges. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

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DENVER — A man has pleaded guilty to three felony counts of retaliating against a judge after multiple incidents, including leaving a message for a Denver District Court judge saying he wanted the judge "violently murdered."

Eric P. Brandt, 49, will face a sentence between a year and six years for each count, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced Thursday.

The plea agreement consolidates several cases against Brandt. They originate from Denver County, Adams County and Jefferson County.

Brandt first pleaded guilty to an incident that happened on Dec. 18, 2018 in Denver. In this case, a Denver District Court judge was presiding over a case involving a member of an environmental activist group when Brandt, plus others, began screaming and intimidating the jurors, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office. The judge ordered them to be removed from the courtroom.

One hour and 12 minutes later, the judge's judicial assistant received a call from Brandt, who requested that the assistant pass a message along to the judge. In the message, Brandt said, "It is my thought that Judge (redacted) should be violently murdered and have his brains splattered all over the face of his children. And it’s my prayer that some (expletive) actually does it. Do you have any more questions? Kill, kill, kill, all judges should die," according to an arrest affidavit.

The following day, Brandt posted a video online with the judge's home address. He called for protests at the home. On Dec. 21, 2019, he posted a second video saying he was going to stop by the judge's home to "have a little chat." In a prior video, he'd stated that the judge would “look best hanging from a tree," according to the district attorney's office.

Police provided extra patrols around the judge's home during this time.

Brandt also pleaded guilty to a harassment charge in Jefferson County from an incident involving a Jefferson County judge on Nov. 19, 2019.

He also pleaded guilty to a harassment charge in Adams County, based on an incident in which he retaliated against an Adams County judge, judicial assistant and Adams County Sheriff's Office deputy on Dec. 2 and 3, 2019.

Brandt's sentencing is scheduled for April 26 at 1 p.m.