Valencia County, NM – A 16-year-old teenager killed his father, mother, and two siblings on Saturday, December 14, at their home in South Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Reportedly, on Saturday at around 3:30 a.m., the boy called the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office and confessed to the dispatcher that he had just killed his family.
The incident happened at their residence in Belen, New Mexico. The suspect, 16-year-old Diego Leyva, has been arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
When deputies arrived at the scene, the teen walked out of the house with his hands in the air. He was reportedly extremely intoxicated and was taken into custody without any resistance.
Upon entering the residence, deputies discovered two adults and two teenagers deceased inside the home.
The victims were identified as Leonardo Leyva, 42 (father); Adriana Bencomo, 35 (mother); Adrian Leyva, 16 (brother); and Alexander Leyva, 14 (brother). All victims were pronounced dead from gunshot wounds, and a handgun was found on the kitchen table.
Diego was reportedly taken to a local hospital to detox from the alcohol before being booked into the Juvenile Justice Center in Albuquerque at around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The motive behind the murders is still unknown.
The case is being investigated by the New Mexico State Police, the Investigations Bureau, and crime scene teams.
Investigators will soon conduct interviews to determine what exactly led to the incident.
The local school district released a statement on Sunday, announcing that counseling services will be available. They are urging any students in need of mental health support to reach out to a teacher.
