NEW MEXICO JUDGE ARRESTED FOR RAPING A PROSTITUTE AND WITNESS INTIMIDATION

Albuquerque’s chief criminal judge, Albert S. “Pat” Murdoch was arrested last week and charged with raping a prostitute as well as intimidating a witness.

According to the prostitute he met her through an online ad she placed. He invited her over to his house and they met approximately eight times and he paid her approximately $200 each time.

On one occasion, the prostitute said, he forced her to be the recipient of oral sex. She refused but he did it anyway. The next time she went to his house she secretly videotaped Judge Murdoch forcing himself on her.

The police got wind of the tape and an undercover officer bought the tape from the prostitute for $400.00.

When the prostitute asked him what he would do if his activities with prostitutes became public he said that he would use his contacts with the police and others to prevent his use of prostitutes from becoming public.

Without knowing the evidence, my bet as to the judge’s defense at trial: his attorneys will argue that the alleged rape was a consensual playing out of a fantasy. He may also argue, based upon her question about what he would do if his activities became public, that she was attempting to blackmail him and he refused to surrender.