Jury Deadlocks in Laguna Man's Alleged Plot to Murder Judge, Prosecutors and FBI Agents

LAGUNA BEACH, CA - A 60-year-old former Laguna Beach man faces a retrial in July on charges of soliciting the murder of a federal judge, two prosecutors and a pair of FBI agents, according to court records obtained today.

John Arthur Walthall, who was doing time in federal prison for a gold investment scheme, was indicted in December 2014 with soliciting the killing of U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford, who sentenced him to 14 years behind bars, and the others.

At his sentencing April 30, 2012, the defendant argued with the judge, tried to fire his attorney and lashed out at his fraud victims. The judge scolded Walthall for repeatedly interrupting him, threatened to have him removed from the courtroom and even accused the defendant of lying about his health so he could delay his trial.

"From day one, I've been caught up in an entrapment and fraud scheme," Walthall said at his April 2012 sentencing.

At one point as he was facing trial in the fraud case he jumped bail and fled to Nevada, but he was later recaptured and went to trial. He was convicted Dec. 2, 2011, of four counts of wire fraud and a count of failure to appear.

He was arrested in 2009 and indicted for defrauding a Laguna Niguel couple, who were in their 80s, and using their money to buy investments and cover personal expenses.

A relative of one of Walthall's fellow inmates contacted the FBI in March 2014 to say the defendant was allegedly attempting to make plans to have someone kill the judge and the others, according to court records.

Two inmates eventually cooperated with investigators and passed on several notes Walthall wrote detailing his alleged plans to kidnap and kill the victims, according to federal prosecutors.

In one note, Walthall allegedly asked for ingredients for a poison to administer to one of the other inmates if they betrayed him, prosecutors have alleged. One of the inmates cooperating with authorities directed Walthall to a "cousin," who was actually an undercover agent, prosecutors allege.

Part of the alleged bizarre plan included having Guilford kidnapped and compelled to make a statement on video that he "rigged" legal proceedings against anyone who was convicted in his court, prosecutors have alleged.

"Defendant then wanted Judge Guilford to be handcuffed and 'shoved in a (expletive)... wood chipper' and said, 'I want his eye cut out of his head, so then we can see eye to eye. I want to keep a (expletive) sample of him, but I know that I can't,' " prosecutors alleged in court papers filed last year.

Jurors deadlocked on Thursday 10-2 for guilt, according to Walthall's attorney, Tim Scott. Walthall's attorney argued entrapment and insanity defenses, he said.

Walthall was ordered to return to court June 27 for a pretrial conference with a retrial scheduled for July 12.

City News Service