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Fate of Gwinnett judge facing computer trespass charge now in jury's hands

She claimed the Gwinnett County district attorney hacked her computer, so she hired a private investigator to monitor her computer activity.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County judge on trial now must wait as a jury sorts through the strange case involving her, a district attorney and a convicted child molester. 

Superior Court Judge Kathryn Schrader is facing a computer trespass charge related to the case. But Schrader said she was actually trying to stop a crime.

She claimed the Gwinnett County district attorney hacked her computer, so she hired a private investigator to monitor her computer activity - 24-hours a day.

RELATED: Courtroom intrigue: The Judge, the D.A. and the convicted child molester

Schrader admitted that, on her own, she hired a team of private investigators to install equipment on her work computer to access the county's secure server and find out if someone inside the courthouse had hacked into her account. 

Credit: Judge Kathryn M. Schrader

The judge had suspected that someone from District Attorney Danny Porter's office hacked into her computer for some reason - a claim Porter denied. She claimed she wanted proof of the hacking before taking it to investigators to examine. 

RELATED: 'I no longer trusted anybody in this building': Gwinnett judge defends questionable computer use

Schrader has since taken the stand in the face of a potential prison sentence of up to 45 years - if she's convicted. A jury is now deliberating to determine her fate.

Credit: WXIA

The judge and three people who did the investigative work - including Dragon Con co-founder and convicted sex offender Ed Kramer - were all indicted. Those three cut deals to avoid trial in exchange for testifying, which they did in court Wednesday.

RELATED: Dragon Con co-founder, Gwinnett judge among those indicted in computer hacking case

District Attorney Danny Porter also testified from the witness stand that he never hacked the judge's computer. He testified in court Wednesday. Listen to his testimony below. 

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