Document says man told wife of murder

Kathy Paquin officially remains a missing person, but a document filed in U.S. District Court reveals that Christopher Blattner – charged with state and federal drug crimes and a homicide in state court – told his wife that he’d killed her.

“Christopher Blattner told Brittany Blattner that he had murdered Kathy Paquin and dismembered and hid her corpse,” says a federal forfeiture action that seized two motorcycles as the proceeds of federal criminal violations. The complaint seizing a 1998 BMW motorcycle and a 2003 Suzuki motorcycle was filed in January in U.S. District Court.

Katherine Paquin, 62, hasn’t been seen since Aug. 15.

Blattner has not been charged in her death.

The U.S. Secret Service learned in August that the Blattners had fraudulently withdrawn some $63,000 from Paquin’s bank account, using her ATM card to access money, according to the filing.

The forfeiture says that $25,000 was withdrawn from Paquin’s account in a five-day period, starting Aug. 16, 2012.

Surveillance video shows Christopher Blattner, 33, making purchases at local businesses and withdrawals at cash machines, including a $1,000 withdrawal at Isleta Casino. Large sums were also transferred from savings to checking by telephone, when the checking account balance hit zero, the complaint says.

Blattner, accused in a 2007 homicide, was arrested at his home by Albuquerque Police Department SWAT officers after a nine-hour standoff, during which Blattner fired at officers, police said. SWAT team members had gone to a home at 5401 Marble NE to arrest Blattner on a probation violation and learned later that another warrant had been issued for Blattner that same day for the 2007 slaying of 36-year-old George Orozco, whose body was found near the Route 66 Casino.

Chris Blattner said he was armed and refused to surrender, but Brittany left the home and cooperated with police. She said Chris Blattner initially told them Paquin was out of town, but later told police that Chris admitted killing her, according to the forfeiture documents.

Brittany Blattner said Chris Blattner had forced her to complete a $10,000 bank transfer on Paquin’s account using information he had provided. Chris Blattner also bought two computers using Paquin’s debit card, and bought her clothes and jewelry using money from Paquin’s account.

At the time of her arrest, Brittany Blattner had about $3,000 from Paquin’s account. The motorcycles, which Brittany Blattner agreed to relinquish, were purchased from a store on Lomas Boulevard, again using Paquin’s money.

Brittany Blattner told the Secret Service that Christopher had given his roommate $6,000 to open a Bank of America account to launder some of the funds.

The forfeiture complaint refers to a search warrant executed at Paquin’s residence on Aug. 22, 2012, and says a paper with Brittany Blattner’s name on it was found there. But the affidavit used to establish probable cause for the search remains sealed, according to David Waymire, deputy district attorney in violent crimes at the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

“That search warrant is still sealed as that case (missing person/homicide) is still actively being investigated and has not been charged,” he said in an email.

Blattner was indicted Feb. 6 in federal court on charges of distributing methamphetamine and felon in possession of a firearm. He was taken out of state custody at Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas for long enough to make an appearance on the federal charges March 27.

The 2012 case charging him with the murder of Orozco is pending before Judge Christina Argyres. Meanwhile, he was indicted in February on new charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, trafficking, aggravated assault on a police officer and drug possession.
— This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal