A 16-year-old boy has been accused of killing his parents and two siblings 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 his family members before turning himself on Saturday.
Investigators said Leyva, from Belén, Valencia County, was ‘extremely intoxicated’ when police arrived to arrest him in the early hours of S, and that they had found a handgun on the kitchen table inside.
‘Deputies entered the residence to find four deceased individuals,’ police said in a statement.
The victims have since been identified as Leonardo Leyva, 42, and Adriana Bencomo, 35, and teenagers Adrian and Alexander Leyva, aged 16 and 14, all killed by suspected gunshot wounds.
They added that Leyva was taken into custody ‘without incident’ and was checked into a local hospital ‘for detox’ before being booked into a juvenile detention center in Albuquerque, some 30 miles north of Belen.
Police are carrying out interviews to try to understand a motive for the tragic events, and intend to take the case to the district attorney’s office for prosecution after wrapping up their investigation.
Police are still trying to find a motive for the killings on Saturday morning in Belen
Adriana Bencomo (left) was a volunteer firefighter, tragically found dead in her Valencia home
State Police investigators were still on the scene as of 6:15am on Monday, processing the scene and speaking to locals.
Adriana served as an active volunteer firefighter, according to the Valencia County Fire Department.
The department shared their sympathies 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 brothers and sisters at RCFD are shocked and saddened by this loss as expected.
‘The Valencia County Fire Department and Belen Fire Department have brought in additional staffing to assist with calls in 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 would never have thought that something like this would happen and that Diego would be capable of doing something like this’ Vanessa LaGrange told the Guardian.
‘Everyone’s in shock,’ she added.
Police said Leyva called 911 around 3:30am local time on the morning of Saturday, December 14 and told them that he had killed his family members.
He was taken to a hospital, unnamed, to detox from the alcohol before being booked into the Juvenile Justice Center at around 1am on Sunday.
Police added that a motive was 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 Belen Consolidated Schools district on Sunday: “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic event involving the killing of his family by a BHS student this past Saturday.
‘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.’
The statement said the district would be offering additional counseling services and urged any students in need of mental health services to reach out to a teacher or principal.
Saturday’s killings were the 29th mass murder in the US this year, defined as an attack in which four or more victims are killed by the Gun Violence Archive.
