Tempe Judge Accused Of Stabbing Wife, Evidence Tampering

A judge in Tempe is under arrest, accused of stabbing his wife and tampering with evidence. Judge Thomas Robinson was arrested Friday and placed on administrative leave by the city.

Robinson was arrested by Chandler who were investigating the stabbing of Robinson's wife.

She had arrived in the hospital on August 25th with multiple stab wounds.

Robinson said he had gone out, leaving the door unlocked and that when he came home he found the house in shambles and his wife stabbed.

She told police at the time she didn't know who did it. (For more local news, subscribe to the Phoenix Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts).

A few days later, police received a call from a worker at a crisis hotline who had taken a call from someone who said they were in contact with Robinson's wife and that she said she'd been stabbed by her husband.

Police went back to her and she admitted that her husband had stabbed her.

She said that she'd been looking at his cell phone, noticed a number she didn't recognize, called it. A woman answered. That led to an argument between her and her husband over accusations of infidelity.

The judge left the house and she told police she started damaging items before trying to kill herself several ways including household poison and drain cleaner. When those failed, she laid down on the bed.

Robinson arrived home, saw the damage in the house, found her on the bed and stabbed her repeatedly, she told police.

When one of her wounds wouldn't stop bleeding, he took her to the hospital and they came up with the story of an intruder.

Police say that she told them her husband had likely disposed of the bloody sheets and knife.

They listened in on a conversation between the judge and her in which he referred to the attack.

He was arrested and is charged with 10 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one of tampering.

Robinson, who started hearing cases in 1995 as a traffic hearing officer, is due back in court on Friday.

Photo via Maricopa County Sheriff's Office