New Mexico teen kills entire family and then calls 911 to drunkenly confess to quadruple homicide: police

A 16-year-old New Mexico boy was arrested Saturday morning after he allegedly gunned down his parents and teenage siblings and then drunkenly called 911 to confess to the quadruple homicide, police said.

Diego Leyva is facing first-degree murder charges in the horrific slaughter that happened around 3:30 a.m. before the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from the murder suspect, New Mexico State Police said in a news release.

The teen allegedly said he killed his family over the phone to a dispatcher and then walked out with his hands in the air when deputies reached his home in the city of Belen, authorities said.

A New Mexico teen boy was arrested Saturday morning after he allegedly gunned down his parents and teenage siblings and then drunkenly called 911 to confess to the quadruple homicide, police said. KOAT-TV

State police said Leyva was “extremely intoxicated” while he was taken into custody without incident.

A handgun was found on the kitchen table, according to police.

The suspect’s 42-year-old father Leonardo Leyva, 35-year-old mother Adriana Bencomo, 16-year-old sister Adrian Leyva, and 14-year-old brother Alexander Leyva were all found dead with gunshot wounds inside the home, according to law enforcement and KRQE.

The alleged killer was taken to a nearby hospital for detox and then booked into a juvenile justice center in Albuquerque early Sunday morning, officials said.

Victims Adriana Bencomo and Leonardo Leyva. Facebook
The teen allegedly said he killed his family over the phone to a dispatcher and then walked out with his hands in the air when deputies reached his home in the city of Belen. KOAT-TV

A former teacher was in disbelief that the teen boy could be responsible for the ruthless slaying.

“I would never have thought that something like this would happen and that Diego would be capable of doing something like this” educator Vanessa LaGrange told the Guardian. “Everyone’s in shock.”

The state police investigative bureau is still trying to determine what sparked the murderous rampage.

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