Supreme Court Intervenes in Case of Man Who Threatened Judge Sanchez Villalobos

GRANTS, NM – The New Mexico Supreme Court has intervened in the case against John Karl O'Brien, who was arrested for allegedly attempting to murder 13th Judicial District Court Judge Amanda Sanchez Villalobos and making threats against her family. The incident, which took place on April 8, 2024, led to O'Brien being charged with first-degree attempted murder among other counts.

Because the Supreme Court intervened, the trial for O’Brien will not be held in Cibola County. The court ordered the location be moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Incident

The chilling incident unfolded at the 13th Judicial District Courthouse on April 8, when John Karl O'Brien, armed with an ax, allegedly made threats to murder Judge Sanchez Villalobos to an undisclosed lawyer’s office in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. This grave accusation prompted a phone call from the law office approximately 20 minutes before he arrived at the courtroom.

The Cibola Citizen submitted an Inspection of Public Records Act request to get information on the incident. The county worked to quickly return information for the request.

As O’Brien arrived at the 13th Judicial Court in Grants, Sanchez Villalobos was in her chamber with deputies who were working to protect her. The entrance doors to the courtroom were sealed.

Hours before press deadline, the Citizen received footage from Deputy Brian Gardner’s departmentissued body camera. The footage began when Deputy Gardner, who arrested O’Brien, walked through the double doors at the entrance of the county building and immediately confronted O’Brien who was standing in the lobby.

O’Brien appeared to be carrying an ax in his hand.

Gardner approached with his department issued handgun drawn and pointed at O’Brien, he demanded O’Brien drop the ax, O’Brien complied. From there, the typical procedure of handcuffing and booking him follows.

Supreme Court Orders Trial Location Change

Assigned to Judge Amanda Sanchez Villalobos by default because she lives in Cibola, the case saw a change in the judge assignment which came after her immediate recusal.

The case is now being overseen by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer as designated by the Supreme Court, who stepped in to ensure that the integrity of the case was preserved. If her name is familiar, Judge Sommer oversaw the trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and will oversee the trial of Alec Baldwin in the Santa Fe Rust Shooting Trial.

Judge Marlowe Sommer serves the 1st Judicial District of New Mexico, in Santa Fe. The Cibola County Sheriff’s Office was required to transport O’Brien to Santa Fe, where he is being held under pretrial detention.

O'Brien faces three allegations:

• Attempt to Commit a Felony, to wit: First Degree Murder (Willful & Deliberate) - Classified as a second degree felony. A grand jury returned an indictment against O’Brien for this charge on April 12.

• Threatening a Judge or their Immediate Family – A fourth degree felony.

• Use of Telephone to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten, Harass, Annoy or Offend - Marked as a misdemeanor.

Legal Representation and Court Motions

Represented by courtappointed attorney Richard Benjamin Pugh, O'Brien's defense promptly filed motions including a request for discovery, a demand for information, and a call for a speedy trial. The State's representation by Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Michael Thomas countered with a motion for pretrial detention, which was granted, reflecting the case's serious implications and the potential risk O'Brien could pose.

O'Brien was set to appear before Judge Sommer on April 16, at 2 PM for his detention and preliminary hearing. Due to press deadline, the Cibola Citizen was unable to receive information about what occurred and will have an update in the April 24 edition.