Judge Is Victim in Prostitute-Rape Case, His Counsel Says
At a hearing yesterday a New Mexico judge accused of raping a prostitute was called a victim by his defense counsel and the judge hearing the case eliminated his $50,000 bond and released him on his own recognizance.
District Judge Albert “Pat” Murdoch, 57, is taking a leave of absence and the state Judicial Standards Commission is seeking to suspend the Albuquerque jurist without pay, reports the Associated Press.
However, his lawyers are seeking to dismiss the case against him and authorities are investigating whether the woman, who describes herself as a prostitute and says the judge paid her for sex eight times, may have been trying to extort him by videotaping Murdoch while he was having sex with her, according to the news agency and KRQE.
Another KRQE article says the woman might be charged and the judge might face additional charges as a result of an ongoing investigation.
“We believe that our client is a victim in this case. We will have much more to say after we’ve had an opportunity to look at the evidence in this case,” said attorney Nancy Hollander during a court hearing yesterday.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Criminal Court Judge Accused of Raping Prostitute in Incident Caught on Tape”
