per Yap State Government (found by AP)
Rachelle Bergeron, a New York attorney originally from Wisconsin, has served as the acting Attorney General of the island of Yap since January, having worked as an assistant AG since 2015. On Monday she was shot and killed as she finished a jog. It’s unknown at this time if Bergeron’s work as the chief prosecutor on the island was the motive for the shooting — which also claimed the life of her dog — but it’s certainly suspected at this point. The FBI is sending a team to investigate as part of the Federated States of Micronesia’s association with the United States.
Yap is a roughly 45 square mile state of under 20,000 people. Governor Henry Falan called Bergeron’s death a “tragic day in our history.”
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Bergeron had worked as a public interest attorney before joining the Yap AG’s office, having worked with sex trafficking victims for Sanctuary for Families. Her death came as she was planning to return to the United States with her husband.
The University of Florida Levin College of Law grad will be flown to the U.S. to be laid to rest.
Former NYC lawyer shot to death on tiny island where she was attorney general [NY Post]
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Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.