Former Lincoln County District Court Judge, John Murphy, has died at the age of 67.

According to family members, Murphy and his wife were returning from a trip to California when he became ill.  He died Monday in a Santa Fe, New Mexico hospital.

Murphy had reportedly suffered from heart and other health problems in recent years.

Murphy became the Lincoln County Public Defender in 1981, and was appointed as a District Judge, in Lincoln County, in 1983.

Murphy was known as a judge who was not afraid to make his opinion known.

He retired in 2010, after a failed attempt to remove him from the bench, and moved to Omaha.

Murphy is survived by his wife, Marie, and three sons, Timothy, Patrick and Daniel.