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An attorney known for defending police officers and deputies from law enforcement agencies across New Mexico for over three decades died at his home in Bosque Farms recently at age 70.

D鈥橝mato died on March 18 after he was diagnosed in October 2024 with late-stage bladder cancer, according to his wife Michelle D鈥橝mato. He is survived by his wife and their four children. 

John D鈥橝mato was born in New Jersey in 1955 before moving to California to pursue a law degree from California Western School of Law in 1986. After receiving his degree, D鈥橝mato worked to earn his Juris Doctor, a three-year postgraduate doctorate that is required to practice law. 

He was a longtime attorney for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Officers Association (APOA).

鈥淚 will tell you that he did more for police officers than police officers do for each other,鈥� said APOA President Shaun Willoughby on Monday. 鈥淗e bent over backwards for everybody that he served.鈥�

For over 30 years, D鈥橝mato defended and advocated for law enforcement officers throughout the state, alongside law firm partner Fred Mowrer.

The two worked together to represent the Fraternal Order of Police before extending their services to all law enforcement agencies in New Mexico. At one point, the New Mexico Sheriffs鈥� Association honored D鈥橝mato with a 鈥淧erson of the Year鈥� award for his work and commitment to law enforcement.

Primarily, D鈥橝mato represented officers who were going through disciplinary issues, handling officer appeals, misconduct allegations, use of force investigations and any subsequent litigations.

Mowrer said that D鈥橝mato was dedicated to his job and had a passion for law enforcement defense.

鈥淲e would go to the scene of the incident whenever it would be and we would be there with the officers and represent them, both criminally and civically," he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a hole, to say the least, because it鈥檚 hard to find somebody that鈥檚 willing to do that and make sacrifices like that.鈥�

Mowrer said D鈥橝mato鈥檚 love for practicing law could be seen in everything he did, from leaving family dinners on holidays to arrive at crime scenes to offering pro bono work on multiple occasions to give back to the community.

Willoughby said that though it was hard to keep track, he believes D鈥橝mato represented 鈥渓iterally thousands鈥� of officers.

鈥淲e鈥檙e never going to be able to replace him,鈥� Willoughby said. 鈥淭here aren't many attorneys that specialize in representing police officers, but he was one of them so he was utilized in several agencies. They just don鈥檛 make attorneys like that.鈥�

Of his hundreds of court trials, D鈥橝mato recently served as the defense attorney in an April 2024 case against a former sa国际传媒官网网页入口 police officer who allegedly illegally arrested a mentally disabled man who was trying to buy a bicycle in 2022. Jurors failed to reach a verdict in the case twice. 

D鈥橝mato worked until the very end, his wife said, even working up until two weeks before he died. 

鈥淗e was just an amazing, remarkable person and he loved what he did,鈥� Michelle D鈥橝mato said in an interview with the Journal. 鈥淗e just loved the officers. He was so loyal to them and he had a passion for them and he thought very highly of law enforcement.鈥� 

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.