NM judge, pets shot dead by her husband in suspected murder-suicide
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New Mexico judge and her pets are found shot dead by her husband on suspicion of murder-suicide after a friend received a ‘disturbing voicemail message’
- A New Mexico judge, her pets and her husband were recently found dead in what police say is an apparent murder-suicide
- Diane Albert, 65, and Eric Pinkerton, 63, were found dead on Friday alongside ‘several dead animals’
- A friend of the couple reported getting “a disturbing message” from Pinkerton prior to the discovery of their bodies
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A New Mexico municipal judge and her pets were killed in an apparent murder-suicide carried out by the judge’s husband just hours after a friend of the couple received “a disturbing message.”
The bodies of Diane Albert, 65, and Eric Pinkerton, 63, were found in their home on Friday, along with several dogs and a cat, authorities said.
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office officials found the two as they reported to their home in the 800 block of Ranchitos Road for a welfare check.
Jayme Fuller of the sheriff’s office said police believe Pinkerton shot the animals and his wife before killing himself.
Diane Albert’s body was found Friday alongside her husband and several dead animals at their home in New Mexico
Law enforcement officers were seen at the scene with several crates for animals
Fuller said a friend of the couple contacted the sheriff’s office just before 4 p.m. “after receiving a disturbing message” from Pinkerton.
“A friend of the deceased contacted deputies after receiving a disturbing message from Eric Pinkerton,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement.
In the message, the friend said, Pinkerton stated that he had shot his wife and dogs and was going to kill himself.
“He left a voicemail to his friend saying he killed his wife, his dogs, and his cat. And he is about to commit suicide,” the dispatcher said KOAT.
Albert was a municipal judge for the village of Los Ranchos, which borders Albuquerque, and was a former planning and zoning commissioner for the North Valley community.
She had also served as Los Alamos County Commissioner and President of the Bike Coalition of New Mexico, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Investigators arrived on the scene in the 800 block of Ranchitos Road in Bernalillo County
Inside, deputies found the bodies of Albert and Pinkerton, as well as several deceased animals
New Mexico state auditor Brian S. Colon remembered his friend on a Facebook page Saturday.
Colon described the municipal judge as “a kind-hearted soul who always cheered me and others up.” He said she “always came into our house smiling and usually wearing her bike helmet.”
Los Ranchos administrator Ann Simon also remembered her boyfriend and called the woman a “brilliant mind.”
“We are sad to hear the news of this senseless tragedy,” Simon said.
This is the message the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office shared after discovering the bodies of Albert and Pinkerton Friday
“Diane Albert, our elected municipal judge, was a longtime resident of Los Ranchos, a brilliant mind, and a friend.
“We cannot ignore the fact that this happened on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,” the administrator said.
Joe Craig, a neighbor and former colleague, said the news of her death and the matter of the incident shocked him and others.
“Just a nice, nice lady,” Craig said. “I’ve never seen her with a mean bone in her body.”
The case remains under investigation by the police.