Oct. 14 – Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen was looking for answers the day after he learned that a Tijeras man allegedly shot and killed his parents, younger sister and dog with his mother’s gun.
“There’s a lot to unpack,” Allen said at the news conference Monday morning.
Adlai Mestre, 24, of Tijeras is charged with three counts of open murder, five counts of tampering with evidence, extreme cruelty to animals, escape or attempted escape from the custody of a peace officer and criminal damage to property over $1,000.
Mestre is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. It is unclear who his lawyer is.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, deputies said that during his arrest, Mestre “said something to the effect of, ‘I killed them and was going to bury them.'”
Allen said he’s not sure what might have led Mestre to shoot his family or how long they had been dead.
“It’s still very early,” he said.
Allen said the killing reminds him of the case of Nehemiah Griego, who as a 15-year-old in 2013 killed his parents and three younger siblings in the South Valley. In 2019 he was given a life sentence.
Sunday at 2:14 p.m., officers with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a shooting on Young Road in Tijeras.
According to the complaint, a neighbor reported that after hearing shots, he went to his neighbor’s house and honked the horn, but received no response. Officers arrived less than an hour later, Allen said, and made contact with a man — later identified as Mestre — who was carrying a handgun “along with a second magazine loaded with ammunition.”
While he was being held, officers said Mestre told them he had killed his family “and planned to bury them.”
Officers said they found Mestre’s father, Raymundo Mestre, 46, inside the home; mother, Bertha Mestre, 51; and sister Brielle Mestre, 17, with gunshot wounds in a ravine north and east of the home. Allen said the firearm belonged to the mother.
Officers said Adlai Mestre later told them he killed his father in the living room and his mother as she came down the stairs, but knew nothing about the sister. Officers said he dragged their bodies outside and placed them in the ravine about 50 yards from the house.
According to the complaint, Adlai said he also killed the family dog because the dog “was starving.”
The complaint states that officers also found bloodstains in the home consistent with “drag marks and mopping/cleaning,” along with a knife and a meat tenderizer hammer with blood on it. Officers said Adlai Mestre told them he was trying to clean up before they interrupted him.
The complaint states that while in the interrogation room of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office building, Mestre punched and then kicked a wall and escaped. Detectives chased him down the hallway and arrested him.
Allen said Adlai spent time at Haven Behavioral Hospital in Albuquerque about a year ago.
Being notified of his hospitalization would allow officers to monitor him and possibly ensure he would not be dangerous to himself or others, he said.
Allen said people should pay attention to loved ones who are experiencing behavioral issues, especially those who have firearms in their home.
“That’s a red flag, pun intended,” he said. “We need to pay attention and do our part too, not just law enforcement.”
