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Jury convicts man who threatened judge with an ax
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A man who walked into the Cibola County Courthouse with an ax and asked where he could find a judge in 2024 was convicted by a jury Thursday of attempted first-degree murder, court records show.
John Karl O’Brien, 65, was upset about a ruling handed down by Judge Amanda Sanchez Villalobos in a civil case and told others he planned to kill the 13th Judicial District Court judge.
O’Brien also was convicted Thursday of threatening a judge and faces up to 10½ years in prison at a sentencing hearing set for Oct. 23, the New Mexico Department of Justice said.
“Any threat to a judge is a threat to our entire legal system,” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement. “Threats and acts of violence will never be tolerated.”
O’Brien’s attorney, Nicholas Hart, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
On April 8, 2024, O’Brien told staff at an Albuquerque law firm that he intended to kill Sanchez Villalobos and others, then drove to Grants, the statement said. “A witness then saw O’Brien grab an ax from his roof rack and drive away,” it said.
Staff at the law firm alerted the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office about the threat.
A sheriff’s deputy saw O’Brien enter the Cibola County Courthouse with the ax and heard him ask “where is Villalobos?” prosecutors wrote in a pretrial detention motion. The deputy drew his firearm and ordered O’Brien to drop the ax and lie on the floor.
O’Brien “made clear and unequivocal statements about his intent to kill Judge Villalobos and did in fact show up at her courthouse and requested her by name — while armed with an ax,” prosecutors alleged.
The New Mexico Supreme Court assigned the case in 2024 to 1st Judicial District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer after all the 13th Judicial District Court judges recused from the case.
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“We are deeply fortunate that this attack did not have tragic consequences, and I am pleased that John Karl O’Brien is being held accountable for both his threatening words and his violent actions,” Torrez said.
