Justin Deshun Stiger, Threats to Murder Prosecutors and Judge, Tennessee 2025

Justice

Memphis, Tennessee – In a shocking turn of events, a local man has been convicted of making threats to murder federal prosecutors and a federal judge.

According to the evidence presented in court, Justin Deshun Stiger, 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, made the threats after being set to be sentenced in federal court in Memphis on April 16, 2025, for his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Witnesses testified that Stiger, who has a prior conviction for a crime of violence and ties to a criminal street gang, pointed at federal prosecutors and said they were ‘going to die’ because of the sentence they intended to recommend. When U.S. District Judge Mark Norris began having Stiger removed from the courtroom after his threats to the prosecutors, Stiger then threatened the judge saying ‘You’re gonna die too, judge.’

When asked if Stiger was threatening him, Stiger responded: ‘It ain’t no threat. It’s a promise.’

‘Threats to law enforcement and the federal judiciary are not just attacks on those individuals. They are threats to the justice system itself. We take those extremely seriously, and we will hold those who make them accountable for their actions,’ said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek.

Stiger is set to be sentenced on June 18, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Memphis. He faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for each of the three counts of conviction.

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Hinkle prosecuted the case.

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