Man Charged with Threatening to Kill Judge Pleaded Not Guilty

GRANTS, NM – John Karl O’Brien, the man accused of threatening to murder 13th Judicial District Court JudgeAmanda Sanchez Villalobos, has pleaded not guilty to his charges.

The case has drawn widespread attention due to its gravity and the unusual intervention by the New Mexico Supreme Court. John Karl O’Brien faces severe charges following his arrest on April 8, 2024, where he was allegedly found wielding an ax outside the courthouse in Grants, NM.

The charges against him include attempted first-degree murder, threatening a judge or their immediate family, and using a telephone to intimidate or threaten, which are classified as second-degree and fourth-degree felonies, and a misdemeanor, respectively.

The complexity of the case led the New Mexico Supreme Court to relocate the trial from Cibola County to Santa Fe. This move is intended to ensure a fair trial, free from local pressures that might arise in the community which Judge Sanchez Villalobos serves. The case is now under the jurisdiction of Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, known for handling high-stakes trials, including the upcoming trial related to the Alec Baldwin Rust shooting incident.

Court records show that on April 23, O'Brien waived his arraignment, pleading not guilty to the charges.

The court did not set a date for the next hearing.

The Cibola Citizen will continue to follow this case.