A New Mexico teenager accused of killing four family members told investigators he heard a voice commanding him to kill his family, a state police spokesman said Wednesday.
The 16-year-old, whom NBC News is not identifying because he is a minor, faces four counts of first-degree murder in connection with Saturday’s slayings in Belen, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Albuquerque. The boy is being held in a juvenile detention center in Albuquerque but could later be charged as an adult, the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.
It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.
The suspect called 911 around 3:30 a.m. Saturday and “told dispatch that he had killed his family,” state police said in a statement this weekend. It described him as “extremely intoxicated” and said he left a residence and surrendered when officers arrived.
Officers found four people dead in the home and a gun in the kitchen, state police said.
A motive had not yet been determined, Ricardo Breceda, a public information officer for the New Mexico State Police, told NBC News on Wednesday.
The suspect “told officers that a voice was telling him to kill his family,” Breceda said.
The suspect made the statement Sunday when he was sober, said Breceda, who added that the gun used in the shootings was purchased by the teen’s father, who was one of the victims. Breceda said authorities were unsure whether the boy had a history of mental illness.
State police identified the victims as Adriana Bencomo, 35; Leonardo Leyva, 42; Adrian Leyva, 17; and Alexander Leyva, 14.
‘She loved being a mother’
Bencomo had been a volunteer firefighter and was a loving mother, those who knew her said. News of the killings stunned her current and former colleagues at the Rio Municipality Fire Department, where she volunteered.
Adriana Bencomo was one of four people found dead in a New Mexico home. A 16-year-old relative was arrested and charged in the murders.
“She loved being a mother,” said Ashley Romero-Reynolds, a former volunteer who now lives in Ohio. “She would take her boys to the fire department when we had little events there and stuff, or just to see their mom.”
Romero-Reynolds said Bencomo was called “Andy” and always wanted to make people laugh – whether it was by telling jokes or doing silly dances.
“If someone is having a bad day, she is guaranteed to make it better,” Romero-Reynolds said.
Bencomo was a volunteer firefighter for 17 years, responding to priority calls such as house fires, car wrecks and medical emergencies, Fire Chief Andrew Tabet said.
He described Bencomo as an essential part of the fire crew who always put others first.
“She was a genuine person who wanted to help her community. She wanted to be there for people,” Tabet said, adding that Bencomo was bilingual and helped the department with any language barriers.
Tabet said he had been friends with Bencomo for 15 years and last spoke to her the day before she died.
“We were both looking forward to the holidays,” he says. “I will miss her smile and genuine appreciation for everyone who was here.”
Adriana Bencomo was a volunteer firefighter for 17 years.
Leonardo Beltran, the father of victim Leonardo Leyva, said he was struggling to cope with the loss of his family members.
“The dead are dead, and I cannot bring them back to life,” he said in Spanish on Tuesday when reached by phone. “It’s incredibly difficult.”
The suspect was a student at Belen High School, and the youngest victim, Alexander, attended Belen Middle School, said Lawrence Sanchez, superintendent of Belen Consolidated Schools. Adrian, 17, attended a school outside the district, he said.
The school system has provided resources to help students and staff cope with the tragedy.
“We play by ear every day,” Sanchez said, adding that the first day back at school after the killings “was a tough day.”
In a statement this week, Sanchez said the school district is committed to working closely with law enforcement and school officials “to take steps to do our part to prevent something like this from happening again.”
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our children and families feel safe, supported and valued,” he wrote.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
