A New Mexico 16-year-old, Diego Leyva, was arrested on Saturday, December 14, for allegedly murdering his entire family while he was drunk. Leyva then allegedly admitted to the murders to a 911 dispatcher before police arrested him and found his parents and siblings dead with gunshot wounds on their bodies.
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According to the New Mexico State Police, the alleged quadruple murder took place on Camino Escondido in Belen. At around 3:30 a.m., Leyva called 911, telling the dispatcher that he had killed his family.
"When deputies arrived, Diego walked out of the residence with his hands in the air and was extremely intoxicated," a New Mexico State Police
news release posted on Facebook reads. "He was taken into custody without incident. Deputies entered the residence to find four deceased individuals. The Office of the Medical Investigator is still working to identify the victims. A handgun was located on the kitchen table."Following his arrest, police charged Leyva with four open counts of first-degree murder. Once medically cleared, police booked him into the Juvenile Justice Center in Albuquerque on December 15, according to an
update issued by New Mexico State Police.A Shocking Event
The entire community was in shock following the alleged quadruple murder. "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."
Similarly, users online became outraged and in shock too after reading about the case. "They need to try him as an adult," one user wrote. "Prayers for the relatives dealing with this tragedy," a second user wrote. A third one said: "I went to school with this kid. Crazy what people can do. You never know what people are capable of."
Matt Propp, the Valencia County Fire Department fire chief, stated they had "every reason to believe that one of the victims is a volunteer firefighter."
Diego Levya's alleged victims are his father, Leonardo Leyva, 42, his mother, Adriana Bencomo, 35, and his two siblings, ages 16 and 14. Following investigations, police will present Leyva's case to the district attorney's office for prosecution.
