GRANTS, N.M. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced that John Karl O’Brien was found guilty on multiple felony charges, specifically attempted first-degree murder and threatening a judge, when the jury returned two guilty verdicts in the attempted murder case on September 11, 2025.
As a result of these convictions, O’Brien can face a prison sentence of up to ten and a half years of incarceration.
According to an official press release issued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, the incidents leading up to O’Brien’s arrest were caused by his visible anger directed at Judge Sanchez Villalobos. This animosity stemmed from a decision she had made in an unrelated civil case, prompting O’Brien's aggressive behavior.
On April 8, 2024, an alarming series of events unfolded at a lawyer’s office in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. During his visit, O’Brien was reported to have been threatening both attorneys and office staff, asserting that he possessed a firearm and making statements indicating that “people were going to die today.” He explicitly threatened to “kill” Judge Sanchez Villalobos, which raised immediate concerns for her safety and that of others.
A witness described a particularly unsettling moment when O’Brien was seen retrieving an ax from the roof rack of his vehicle in the parking lot. Shortly after this, he left the scene, prompting an attorney who had observed O’Brien's alarming behavior to quickly take action by calling the court to issue a warning about the potential threat, approximately 20 minutes before O’Brien arrived at the courtroom. Thanks to the timely alert from the attorney, Judge Sanchez Villalobos made the decision to remain in her chambers, under the protection of Cibola County Sheriff’s detectives and deputies.
As documented on the body camera footage of one of the responding officers, O’Brien entered the lobby of the 13th Judicial District Courts in Grants, New Mexico, carrying what appeared to be an ax. The officer confronted O’Brien, aiming his department-issued handgun at him and demanding that he drop the weapon. Complying with the officer’s command, O’Brien gave up the ax and was handcuffed.
Attorney General Torrez addressed the implications of O’Brien's erratic actions, stating “Any threat to a judge is a threat to our entire legal system. Threats and acts of violence will never be tolerated. 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.”
O’Brien has been held in pretrial detention since his arrest and will remain in custody until his sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled.