A 16-year-old boy has been charged with killing his parents and two brothers in New Mexico after drunkenly calling 911 to confess to the massacre.
Diego Leyva was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and booked as an adult after he allegedly shot members of his family before turning himself in Saturday.
Investigators said Leyva, of Belen, Valencia County, was “extremely intoxicated” when police arrived to arrest him in the early hours of S, and that they had found a gun on the kitchen table inside.
“Officers entered the residence and found four individuals deceased,” police said in a statement.
The victims have since been identified as Leonardo Leyva, 42, and Adriana Bencomo, 35, and teenagers Adrián and Alexander Leyva, 16 and 14, all killed by suspected gunshot wounds.
They added that Leyva was taken into custody “without incident” and was admitted to a local hospital “to detoxify” before being booked into a juvenile detention center in Albuquerque, about 30 miles north of Belen.
Police are conducting interviews to try to understand the reason for the tragic events and intend to take the case to the district attorney’s office for prosecution once the investigation is completed.
Police are still trying to find the motive for the Saturday morning murder in Belén (pictured: Leonardo Leyva and Adriana Bencomo)
The 16-year-old was arrested Saturday morning and taken to the hospital to detoxify.
Adriana Bencomo (center) was a volunteer firefighter, tragically found dead in her home in Valencia when police arrived to arrest Diego Leyva.
State police investigators were still on scene at 6:15 a.m. Monday, processing the scene and speaking with locals.
Adriana served as an active volunteer firefighter, according to the Valencia County Fire Department.
The department shared its condolences in a tribute statement on social media.
“Adriana Bencomo was an active volunteer firefighter with the Rio Communities Fire Department and had served for many years,” the statement read.
‘Our RCFD brothers and sisters are shocked and saddened by this loss, as expected.
“The Valencia County Fire Department and the Belen Fire Department have hired additional personnel to assist with calls in the Rio communities, and the VCFD Peer Support Team has been activated to assist members with this loss”.
One of Diego’s former teachers said she was surprised by the news.
“I never would have thought that something like this would happen and that Diego would be able to do something like that,” Vanessa LaGrange said. the guardian.
“Everyone is in shock,” he added.
Police said Leyva called 911 around 3:30 a.m. local time on the morning of Saturday, December 14, and told them he had killed members of his family.
He was taken to an unnamed hospital to detox from alcohol before being booked into the Juvenile Justice Center around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Police added that the motive is still unknown.
Police have said the motive for the family’s murder is still unknown.
Adriana (left) served as an active volunteer firefighter, according to the Valencia County Fire Department.
Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez wrote in a statement shared by the Bethlehem Consolidated Schools district on Sunday: “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic event involving the murder of his family at the hands of a BHS student last Saturday.
‘Our hearts go out to the victims, their loved ones and everyone affected by this devastating loss.
“This heartbreaking incident reminds us of the importance of policing to address the challenges our young people face, promote mental health awareness, and ensure a safe and nurturing environment for all.”
The statement said the district would offer additional counseling services and urged any student in need of mental health services to contact a teacher or principal.
Saturday’s killings were the 29th mass murder in the United States this year, defined as an attack in which four or more victims are killed according to the Gun Violence Archive.