When deputies from New Mexico arrived to the location in the early hours of Saturday morning, they found a teenager who was “extremely intoxicated” coming out of the house with his hands up. Inside the apartment, they found the body of his parents and siblings who were all teenagers.
A member of the family who is suspected of being responsible for the shooting loss of another member of the family over the weekend has been identified by the New Mexico State Police. On Saturday, December 14, at around 3:30 in the morning, a 911 call was received by the police, as stated by a representative for the department.
The call came from a young person who claimed that he had murdered his whole family on the premises of their house. At the time when officers from the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the property in Belén, they discovered Diego Leyva, who was 16 years old at the time, going outside with his hands up and ready to surrender, as reported by an ABC station.
He was “extremely intoxicated” at the time of his arrest, according to a news statement issued by the police, but he cooperated extensively with law authorities regardless of his condition. A revolver was discovered on the kitchen table inside the residence, and the authorities discovered four victims who were connected to the perpetrator.
Those who were killed have been named as Leonardo Leyva, who is 42 years old, Adriana Bencomo, who is 35 years old, and the suspect’s brothers, who are 16 and 14 years old respectively. Their bodies were discovered with what are believed to be gunshot wounds, according to KRQE.
According to CNN, Bencomo had been an active member of the Valencia County Fire Department, which said in a statement that it was “shocked and saddened by this loss.” Bencomo could be found in Valencia County.
The Belén Consolidated Schools system issued a statement on their Facebook page on Sunday, after the occurrence of the quadruple killing. In the post, they said that more counseling services will be made available.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic event involving the killing of his family by a BHS student this past Saturday,” Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez stated in the statement. “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the devastating event.” “Our hearts go out to the victims, their loved ones and everyone impacted by this devastating loss.”
“This heartbreaking incident reminds us of the importance of vigilance in addressing the challenges our youth face, promoting mental health awareness and ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for everyone.”
“We are committed to working closely with law enforcement, school officials and community leaders to understand how such a tragedy could occur and to take steps to do our part in preventing anything like this from happening again,” the statement said in its entirety. The task of ensuring that our children and families have a sense of being secure, supported, and cherished falls on all of us collectively.
It has been reported by the police that Leyva has been charged with four open counts of first-degree murder today. On December 15, the authorities claimed that “he was medically cleared and booked into the Juvenile Justice Center” in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This came after he had first been transferred to a hospital for detoxification.
KRQE reports that as part of their continuing investigation, the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau and Crime site Team are now investigating the site and conducting interviews in an effort to discover what led up to this terrible tragedy.
After they have finished their investigation, the findings will be sent to the office of the district attorney so that they may be prosecuted.