On Friday January 12th over 118 Warren County residents braved the wind and snow to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Judge Allison Wade’s assassination in the Warren County Courthouse.

The tragic event marked the first time in U.S. history that a sitting judge was assassinated inside a courtroom.

The Warren County Historical Society in conjunction with Assistant District Attorney Cody Brown, presented an in dept analysis of the events that occurred on January 13, 1954. When Norman Moon, a 26 year old electrical construction worker, attended an alimony case with a Colt 45 hidden in his jacket, which he ultimately used to end Judge Wade’s life.

During the presentation Friday, the public was invited to view the preserved bullet holes that remain in the courthouse walls and the judge’s bench, in addition to the judge’s gavel and the murder weapon.

“Local history means a lot to people," stated Cody Brown, Warren County Assistant District Attorney. "They want people to know what happened here. It was something that has not happened other places in the country. It was something that unfortunately put Warren on the map.”

The judge’s assassination was extensively documented in a publication titled "Murder in the Courtroom," which was written by local authors John Young and Lyle James Slack.

It remains a somber chapter in Warren County’s history.