LOS RANCHOS DE ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WFLA) — A New Mexico municipal judge was shot dead by her husband Friday in what authorities called an apparent murder-suicide.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office tweeted about the incident Saturday afternoon, saying that they responded to a home on Ranchitos Road where they found the bodies of Judge Diane Albert, 65, and her husband, 63-year-old Eric Pinkerton.
Authorities said they went to the home after a friend of the couple told authorities Pinkerton left him a “troubling message.”
Pinkerton allegedly shot his wife and several animals in the home before he shot himself, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dispatch tapes obtained by KOAT said Pinkerton supposedly left a voicemail to his friend saying he killed his wife, their dogs, and their cat before he planned to end his own life.
According to NBC affiliate KOB, Albert was a municipal court judge for Los Ranchos.
The village’s mayor told the station the village is praying for the victim’s family.
“We are heartsick hearing of the untimely death of Diane Albert, our elected municipal judge,” a statement from Mayor Donald T. Lopez and City Administrator Ann Simon. “She was a longtime Los Ranchos resident, a brilliant mind, and a friend. We can’t ignore that this happened on the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. Our thoughts go out to her family and all those affected.”