Ex-partner of lesbian judge convicted

The former girlfriend of a lesbian D.C. Superior Court judge was found guilty Feb. 2 of three counts of breaking, entering and burglarizing the judge’s home after the judge ended their relationship.

Taylar Nuvelle, 40, was ordered held without bond until her April sentencing at the conclusion of a weeklong trial. Her former companion, Magistrate Judge Janet Albert, testified that Nuvelle broke into her home and hid in her attic for more than 24 hours in September 2008, during a time when Nuvelle was allegedly stalking her.

Authorities said Nuvelle was found unconscious in the attic after consuming prescription medication and wine. Court documents say Nuvelle brought food with her and used an ice bucket as a toilet as she remained in the attic after Albert returned home.

Superior Court Judge Russell Canan, who presided over the trial, called Nuvelle’s actions “outrageous and unacceptable,” according to the Washington Post. The Post reported that Canan ordered Nuvelle held in a case where a defendant normally would remain free while awaiting sentencing because she fled the country in 1999 and used as many as 20 different aliases to dodge a court proceeding in a child custody case.

A jury returned its guilty verdict in the case after deliberating for about four hours. Nuvelle faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years in jail.