A man already imprisoned for attempted murder made his first appearance in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana Wednesday on a charge of threatening an Orange County Superior Court judge.
Lawrence Leon Kirkley, 47, was charged April 19 with a felony count of threatening Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger, according to the criminal complaint.
Kirkley pleaded guilty in June 1994 to assault with a firearm and discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, all felonies, with sentencing enhancements for use of a firearm and inflicting great bodily injury on a victim while committing a felony, according to court records.
He was also convicted in February of 1998 with attempted murder in Riverside County, according to court records. Kirkley was denied parole in September of 2021 for another 10 years, according to state prison records.
Kirkley filed civil rights lawsuits against the Buena Park police and Menninger last year, but they were withdrawn by him, according to federal court records.
Messages seeking details were not immediately returned by officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department or the District Attorney’s Office.