Man Sought in Nev. Wants 'Truth' to Emerge

The Reno Police Department released this undated handout photo of Darren Mack, whom they are calling a "person of interest' in the shooting of a family court judge, Monday, June 12, 2006, in Reno, Nev. Judge Chuck Weller was shot in the chest by a shot or shots that came through his office window at the Mill B. Lane Justice Center. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was reported in serious condition. (AP Photo/Reno Police Department) (AP)

RENO, Nev. -- A man sought by police Thursday in the slaying of his estranged wife and the attack on a family court judge left a phone message saying he wanted "the true story" to get out to the public, his cousin said.

Authorities have searched for Darren Mack since Monday when the judge was shot and wounded in his office by a sniper. Mack was charged the next day with murder in the stabbing death of Charla Mack, 39.

His cousin, Jeffrey Donner, said he received a phone message from Mack shortly after the shooting, saying, "'If anything happens to me, please make sure that the true story about the injustices that are going on in that courtroom get out to the media and the public.'"

Donner said his cousin had complained about Judge Chuck Weller, who was handling Mack's divorce case, for the past year and got the impression the judge was biased and made decisions before he heard all the facts.

"He was just obsessed with bringing this judge down. Not physically. I never heard anything like that, but by reputation," Donner said of Mack.

Still, Donner said he was shocked by reports of the shooting because Mack is "just not a violent person."

"If he is in fact responsible for this, it is totally out of character and it is simply an example of somebody that has snapped," he said, choking back tears.

Police said Weller, 53, who was shot once in the chest, was released from the hospital on Tuesday to an undisclosed, secure location.

A custody hearing in the Macks' divorce case was scheduled before Weller in September. Charla Mack filed for divorce in 2005, and a mutual restraining order was signed the same year, according to court records.

Mack, who owned a pawn shop, earned more than $500,000 a year and had a net worth of $9.4 million, according to court documents.

Shawn Meador, Charla Mack's lawyer, said in a court filing that Mack ignored Weller's order in May 2005 to pay $10,000 a month in temporary alimony payments. Weller found him in contempt of court, but Mack filed for bankruptcy in August to avoid paying, according to the filing.

Investigators said Mack may have headed west because of the contact with Donner, who lives in Moraga, Calif., and because a credit card used by the company he owns was used at the Sacramento airport Monday afternoon.

The Justice Department also charged Mack Thursday with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

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Associated Press writer Scott Sonner in Reno contributed to this report.