CHICAGO — Growing occasionally emotional, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday testified during a bench trial that she was disturbed and traumatized by a profane and racist death threat sent to her in 2022 through a city feedback email system.

Lightfoot, who served as Chicago’s mayor from 2019 to 2023, took the stand at the Leighton Criminal Court Building to testify against William Kohles, a Michigan man who is charged with two felony counts of threatening a public official.

Cook County prosecutors alleged during opening statements that Kohles emailed a threat that said he had a “bullet with her name on it” if crime and violence in Chicago didn’t stop. His attorney, though, countered that Kohles was just spontaneously venting after watching a Fox News segment about violence, and did not have any real intent behind the missive. He also said Kohles has learning disabilities and has suffered brain swelling from meningitis.

The case is being heard by Judge Nicholas Kantas, who will issue a ruling at a later date.

The note, read out loud in court by the city worker who first saw the message, used racial slurs and contained a threat to shoot Lightfoot if she didn’t reduce crime in the city. It was sent on Sept. 23, 2022.

“The content of this particular threat was especially disturbing to me,” Lightfoot told the judge. “The content was incredibly profane. The writer … called me the N-word, which frankly directly hadn’t happened in a very long time.”

Lightfoot said the threat was relayed to her by the commander of her security detail, who she said was nervous to tell her about it because of the content. They increased her security and made protocol changes as a result.

Her voice shook slightly and she grabbed a tissue as she told the court about talking to her daughter about the threat. She said she feared for the safety of her wife and daughter.

“I was fearful of coming out of my house and being exposed to a potential sniper threat,” she said. “I live in a residential neighborhood.”

Though she has received threats before, she said the content of this one rattled her.

Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Dibler asked her if she is still fearful.

“Yes,” Lightfoot said, then paused. “I mean this experience is very traumatizing. … I had to tell my daughter last night about this and discuss it with wife.”

Even as she appeared shaken by the threat, Lightfoot’s more familiar demeanor was on display moments later when she stiffened during cross-examination and took issue with some of the questions posed to her by Robert Fisher, who represents Kohles.

“I hate to play lawyer here,” she said at one point in response to a question, telling Fisher that he misstated her testimony.

Fisher asked her whether his client had actually addressed the threat to her specifically, or whether her name appeared in the threat.

“The name Lori Lightfoot didn’t,” she said, “but you would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not know.”

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