Judge Albert S. "Pat" Murdoch leads the list

After we ran this story about homicides committed by offenders on probation, several people have asked which judges handed out those probation sentences. It also doesn't appear that the list of homicides that ran in the paper made it onto our Web site, so here it is, with the added value of judge information. The judge has not been noted on two of the cases because the offenders were juveniles and were in the juvenile probation system. In another case, it has not been noted because the offender used numerous names and it is unclear who made the decision to sentence him to probation. 

Suspects on probation were charged with committing these homicides since summer 2003:

• July 16, 2003: Marissa Mathy-Zvaifler, 16, of Santa Fe was strangled at a concert in Albuquerque. Dominic Akers, then 22, pleaded guilty to her killing and was on probation for rape at the time. The incident prompted “Marissa’s Law,” a state law requiring tougher penalties and more oversight for sex offenders. Judge: Ross Sanchez.

• Aug. 8, 2003: Chris Hanson, 16, of Moriarty was shot to death at close range in an armed robbery in Albuquerque. Joseph Archuleta, then 17, pleaded guilty to his killing. He was on juvenile probation for armed carjacking at the time and had met with his probation officer two days earlier. At that time, he was allowed to stay on probation despite having violated his conditions of release.

• June 17, 2004: Joseph Gallegos, then 40, pleaded guilty to killing Christopher Mayer, 22, at Cochiti and Florida SE. Gallegos was on probation at the time on an escape-from-jail charge. Judge: Albert "Pat" Murdoch.
  

• March 22, 2005: Michael Perea, 40, was fatally stabbed in the doorway of his Downtown home. Police charged Antonio Lopez, then 32, with the killing, but he was never caught, and authorities at the time said they believed he had fled to Mexico. Lopez was wanted on a probation violation at the time of the killing. He had previously pleaded guilty to a 1989 homicide, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in jail and given nearly two years of credit for time served before he was sentenced.

• March 28, 2005: Nadine Perea, then 32, deliberately ran over her husband, George Garcia, in the South Valley after a day of drinking and after Garcia, 37, allegedly punched her in the face. Perea pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide. She was on probation at the time of the killing for aggravated battery on a household member. Judge: Albert "Pat" Murdoch
  

• May 24, 2005: Darline Pacheco, 16, was gunned down in the courtyard of a southeast Albuquerque apartment complex. Jeremiah Gurule, then 17, was charged in Pacheco’s death. He was on house arrest at the time as part of his juvenile probation for a firearms charge and had a monitoring bracelet removed from his ankle the day before the killing. Gurule was held for 16 months before the case was dismissed on speedy trial grounds.

• Sept. 18, 2005: Anthony Sena, then 22, was charged with fatally stabbing Jon Paul Martinez, 18. Sena was on probation at the time for shooting at an occupied dwelling. A mistrial was declared in the case last month due to jury disagreement. Judge: Michael Vigil (Santa Fe District)
  

• Nov. 5, 2005: Candido Ray Martinez Jr., 27, was shot in the head following an argument stemming from a long-running feud with Michael Paul Astorga. Astorga was on probation and parole at the time for eight different felony convictions that were rolled into one sentence. He met with his probation and parole officer two days after Martinez’s killing after a warrant had been issued for his arrest. The officer had not seen the warrant. The case is ongoing. Judge: Richard Knowles
  

• Dec. 15, 2005: Cory John Villareale, then 29, pleaded guilty to stabbing Christopher Kelbe to death with a sword. Police believe the killing was meth-related. Villareale was on probation at the time for a DWI. Judge: Victor Valdez (Metro Court)
  

• March 23, 2006: Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputy James McGrane was shot at close range, sparking a massive manhunt for Michael Paul Astorga. Astorga, who is charged with McGrane’s killing, was still on probation and parole and wanted for Candido Ray Martinez Jr.’s murder at the time of McGrane’s killing. His case is ongoing, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Judge: Richard Knowles
  

• March 8, 2007: Delila Romero-Juarez, 42, was shot to death as she was leaving an East Central Taco Bell, where she worked. Joshua Sandoval, then 24, was charged with her murder and was on probation at the time for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The homicide case against Sandoval was dismissed after the only witness backed out of testifying, but he was rearrested in August after he allegedly stole a woman’s car, then shot her as she fled. Judge: Neil Candelaria

• Oct. 18, 2007: Ryan Vigil, 17, was shot to death after he and several others allegedly threw golf balls at Raymond Lollis, then 22. Lollis, who was charged with the killing, was on probation at the time for distributing methamphetamines. Lollis’ case is ongoing. Judge: Ross Sanchez
  

• Dec. 4, 2007: Tak and Pung Yi, an elderly Korean couple, were attacked in their home and savagely beaten to death. Clifton Bloomfield, 39, pleaded guilty to those killings and several other homicides. He was on probation for armed robbery at the time of the Yis’ deaths. Judge: Albert "Pat" Murdoch

• June 28, 2008: Newlywed Scott Pierce, 40, was shot to death in his northeast Albuquerque home. Clifton Bloomfield, 39, pleaded guilty to the killing. He was on probation for armed robbery at the time of Pierce’s death, and his arrest in that case led police to connect him to the Yis’ killing and others. Judge: Albert "Pat" Murdoch
  

• July 13, 2008: Lawrence Vargas, 23, was shot in the chest at a Downtown parking garage, and police have charged Joseph Espinoza with his killing. Espinoza, whom police described as a “career criminal,” was on probation after a decade of jail time, probation and parole violations stemming from a 1998 kidnapping conviction. He was scheduled to receive an ankle tracking device four days before the killing but missed the appointment. Espinoza’s case is ongoing. Judge: James Blackmer