A Cook County judge who made a controversial decision to release a man on electronic monitoring weeks before he killed his estranged wife is not hearing domestic violence cases because of threats he has received, the chief judge’s office said.

Judge Thomas Nowinski on Oct. 9 denied a Cook County prosecutor’s petition to detain Constantin Beldie, 57, on accusations that he threw her to the ground and held her in his car, finding that the state didn’t meet its burden under the law for Beldie to be held in jail. Six weeks later, Beldie killed Lacramioara Beldie, 54, before he was found dead, according to police, setting off an outcry from advocates against domestic violence who called for Nowinski to be reassigned.

In a lengthy statement released Tuesday evening, Chief Judge Tim Evans said Lacramioara Beldie’s death revealed “gaps in policies and procedures” the office is seeking to address to better protect victims of domestic violence. He also said he is reaching out to incoming State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to “strengthen collaboration” between the two offices.

“My office is currently investigating to determine whether any employee failed to follow policies and procedures in this case,” the statement said. “We pledge to provide additional training to all judges who hear domestic violence cases and petitions for orders of protection, including the Pretrial Division judges who hear these cases on weekends.”

Evans, though, in the statement, indirectly pointed to the prosecutors on the case, and said that a “preliminary examination of this case indicates the court was provided incomplete information.” A court transcript of the Oct. 9 proceeding showed that Nowinski criticized the case work, calling it “a little sloppy.” He wrote that judges make “difficult decisions with the best information they have.”

“While the higher courts have authority to review those decisions, interdivisional judicial transfers and assignments are never a result of a judge’s independent decision-making,” the statement said.

But because of anonymous threats, Evans said, Nowinski is not hearing cases involving domestic violence or orders of protection.