Judge in Valley murder spree suspect Dwight Jones' old case had police security

PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona judge who oversaw the divorce of a man suspected of killing six people with varying degrees of connection to the case says police provided a security detail outside her home.

Judge Susanna Pineda says she doesn't remember 56-year-old Dwight Lamon Jones or the divorce proceedings she oversaw as a former family court judge.

In a video posted online, Jones, who fatally shot himself in a Scottsdale hotel room on Monday, mentioned Pineda by name as he griped about the divorce. In addition, Jones also spoke about the counselor and Steven Pitt, who was Jones' first victim.

Jones is suspected of killing a forensic psychiatrist who testified against him in the case, two paralegals who worked at the law firm that represented his ex-wife and a counselor who worked in office space previously held by one of Jones' son's counselors. Police haven't revealed his link to two other victims.

Pineda said police notified her on Sunday about her connection to the suspect and posted about three or four officers outside her home.

According to Pineda's biography on Maricopa County's website, she served as a family court judge in Phoenix, beginning in 2007. Before that, she worked as an Assistant Attorney General with the Arizona Attorney General's Office from 1987 to 2007. Since 2017, Pineda has served as a criminal judge.