Criminal Court Judge Accused of Raping Prostitute in Incident Caught on Tape
A New Mexico judge has been accused of forcing a prostitute to perform a sex act without her consent in an incident she secretly taped.
Judge Pat Murdoch of Albuquerque was arrested Tuesday on charges of criminal sexual penetration and intimidation of a witness, report KASA.com, KOB.com and KRQE.com.
Murdoch has handled several high-profile criminal cases, including one in which he sentenced a former policeman to probation for raping a suspect, according to the KRQE story. Murdoch reasoned that prison would be more difficult for a policeman than other rape defendants.
According to the criminal complaint, undercover officers paid the prostitute and her pimp $400 for the video after receiving a tip about it, the KASA story says. The prostitute told police she had sex with the judge about eight times, and twice he performed oral sex without her consent, according to allegations cited by KOB. The second time, the prostitute told police, she recorded the incident.
The prostitute alleges she later asked the judge what would happen if anyone made allegations against him, and he said he would use his connections to take care of the situation.
