A state police official said Wednesday that the teen in New Mexico who is accused of killing four family members told them he heard a voice telling him to kill his family.
Four counts of first-degree murder have been laid against the 16-year-old, who NBC News is not naming because he is a child. The killings happened on Saturday in Belen, which is about 30 miles from Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, the boy is being held in a youth detention center. The 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said that the boy could be charged as an adult in the future.
He might have had a lawyer, but it wasn’t clear right away.
State police said in a statement over the weekend that the suspect called 911 around 3:30 a.m. Saturday and “told the dispatcher he had killed his family.” It said he was “extremely drunk” and that he left a house and turned himself in when police came.
Police in the state said they found four dead people in the house and a gun in the kitchen.
An official from the New Mexico State Police told NBC News on Wednesday that they had not yet found out why the crime happened.
Briceña said that the suspect “told police that a voice told him to kill his family.”
Breceda said the suspect said those things on Sunday while he was sober. He also said that the gun used in the shootings was bought by one of the victims, the teen’s father. Breceda said that the police did not know if the boy had ever been mentally ill.
Adriana Bencomo, 35; Leonardo Leyva, 42; Adrian Leyva, 17; and Alexander Leyva, 14 were named by state police as the dead.
“She loved being a mom so much”
People who knew Bencomo said she was a sweet mother and a volunteer fireman. Her current and previous coworkers at the City of Rio Communities Fire Department, where she volunteered, were shocked when they heard about the killings.
Ashley Romero-Reynolds, a previous volunteer who now lives in Ohio, said, “She loved being a mom so much.” When we had small events at the fire station or just to see their mom, she would bring her boys there.
Romero-Reynolds said Bencomo’s name was Andy and that he always wanted to make people laugh, whether it was by telling jokes or dancing around funnily.
Romero-Reynolds said, “If someone is having a bad day, she will make it better for sure.”
Fire Chief Andrew Tabet said that Bencomo was a volunteer firefighter for 17 years and responded to situations like house fires, car accidents, and medical problems.
He said Bencomo was an important member of the fire crew who always put others ahead of himself.
“She was a good person who wanted to make the world a better place.” Tabet said, “She wanted to be there for people.” He also said that Bencomo spoke two languages and helped the department with any language problems.
The last time Tabet talked to Bencomo was the day before she died. They had been friends for 15 years.
He said, “We were both excited about the holidays.” “I’ll miss her smile and the way she thanked everyone who came.”
Leonardo Leyva’s father, Leonardo Beltran, said he was having a hard time accepting the deaths of his family of four.
When called Tuesday, he said in Spanish, “The dead are dead, and I cannot bring them back to life.” “It’s tough.”
The suspect went to Belen High School, and Alexander, the youngest victim, went to Belen Middle School, according to Lawrence Sanchez, who is in charge of all of Belen’s schools. He said Adrian, who is 17, went to a school outside the district.
There are things that the school system has brought in to help students and workers deal with the tragedy.
Sanchez said, “We’re just going with the flow every day.” He also said that the first day back at school after the killings “was a tough day.”
This week, Sanchez said in a statement that the school district is ready to work together with police and school officials “to do our part to stop anything like this from happening again.”
He wrote, “It is our job as a community to make sure our kids and families feel safe, supported, and valued.”
