RUFUS – Federal Judge Mary Steinman has ruled in the Assassination trial of Mavis Lee Young who stood accused of murdering Joseph Cooke a former State Representative in Mesa. In her ruling she cited evidence which she says supplements evidence for her decision.

Her ruling, finding Young guilty of assassinating former State Representative Joseph Cooke last month, which now opens him up for execution under the new federal Anti-Political Violence Act which stipulates that any politically motivated murder or assassination conviction must result in an execution.

“There is no question that Mr. Young murdered in cold blood a former Representative of our State legislature,” said Judge Steinman. “However, there is significant evidence that may suggest he was not in his right mental state at the time of the murder shifting significantly this court’s ability to hold off on sentencing Mr. Young to execution. I order that Mr. Young be held in confinement for the murder of Joseph Cooke.”

Judge Steinman says that she is ordering he remain in custody and will decide his sentence and whether he will face execution where she ordered a post ruling sentencing hearing. The hearing is scheduled for next month. According to Court records, Steinman had been weighing sending him to federal prison for life but says that she could weigh other options.

“I will defer sentencing until I can go through my options and ensure Justice is fairly carried out,” continued Judge Steinman. “I will not make any decisions until I can hold a hearing with health and mental wellness experts. I will also hold my sentencing hearing next month. This will ensure a fair sentence is imposed on Mavis and takes into consideration any mental health issues that are found including mental illnesses that he may have.”

Steinman is being criticized for not sentencing Young to be executed as Senator Thomas Cooke seems likely to position himself to file articles of impeachment against Judge Steinman. In a statement he blames her for the ongoing crime epidemic against political officials.

“Judge Steinman is deferring sentencing the animal who killed my nephew, a sentence which should have been imposed against him. I blame judges like her for the results that end in murdered Jesstopians,” said Sen. Thomas Cooke. “I blame her for the death of my Nephew who was a former Mesa State Representative. He was killed in broad daylight in a brazen attack on a political foe by a registered Republican.”

President Laylin, in a rare but bipartisan statement, called on Judge Steinman to sentence Young to death for his role in killing the former State Representative on August 2, 2026. Cooke was won of the Nationalist Senators who supported the Anti Political Violence Act and supported other legislative proposals supported by President Laylin.

“I think Senator Thomas Cooke is exactly right,” exclaimed President Laylin. “This act was meant to force judges to actually put murders of political officials and those of different political philosophies to death, not decide ‘oh he may have had a mental breakdown,’ and will use that case to do the same in the future. Justice is fair only when judges actually use it. Joseph and his family deserve that Justice.”

Cooke was slaughtered by Young in his apartment on August 2, and since then his trial, which lasted 5 weeks, from the day he was caught behind closed doors, before going public, and Judge Steinman, a Nationalist, said that she would consider all possible angles before imposing her sentence on to him.

“Justice is only fair when we sit back and look at the totality of situation before thinking with our feelings instead of facts,” Steinman responded. “Our Justice must be blind while simultaneously looking at other factors including mental health. If his act was due to mental health, there is some leniency with the law.