Former Las Vegas Judge Who Resigned Commits Suicide

A former Las Vegas judge who recently resigned her position amidst allegations of ethics violations has died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to an article written by Rio Yamat of The Associated Press which has been posted on KTNV.com, the Clark County Coroner's Office confirmed on Saturday, January 21st that former Las Vegas Justice of the Peace, Melanie Andress Tobiasson, 55, died Friday, January 20th. Per Yamat's article, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the coroner ruled her death as a suicide.

Tobiasson, who became licensed to practice law in 1993, and was appointed to the bench in 2009, resigned from her elected position as Las Vegas Justice of the Peace in May 2021. Yamat's article explains that she resigned to begin clearing up a great number of ethics violations that had been leveled against her by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline. They had accused Tobiasson of becoming personally involved in a double-murder investigation. The commission also accused her of allowing "family interests to influence her conduct."

Per Yamat's article, when Tobiasson stepped down from her position, she had reached an agreement with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, and part of that deal was that "she would neither seek nor accept judicial office in the state 'at any time in the future.'”

Yamat's article also reports that court records indicate that Tobiasson's death came just weeks after her divorce from husband Murray Tobiasson. Neither he, nor her father Don Andress, could be reached for comment by The Associated Press.

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Larry Martino is the long-time Afternoon Drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.