New Mexico teen killed his family in quadruple homicide: cops

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Dec 15, 2024

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A 16-year-old New Mexico boy killed his family in a quadruple homicide, then turned himself in to police early Saturday, authorities said.

Diego Leyva was booked at the traumatic scene in Belen, New Mexico, state police said in a Facebook post. The four victims were not publicly identified.

All four family members were fatally shot, and a handgun was found on the kitchen table, cops said. Leyva was “extremely intoxicated” when he was detained, and police took him to a local hospital. Cops said he would be taken later to a juvenile detention facility.

“This incident is in the preliminary stages of investigation,” state police wrote on Facebook. “Once more information is learned and the investigation is complete, it will be presented to the district attorney’s office for prosecution.”

After killing his family, Leyva called 911 around 3:30 a.m. Saturday and told the dispatcher what he’d done, according to police. Officers arrived shortly afterward at the home in Belen, about 30 miles south of Albuquerque.

Leyva walked out of the house with his hands in the air and surrendered without incident, authorities said.

The family home sits in a rural, undeveloped area of the town, the Albuquerque Journal reported, adding a Christmas tree was visible through a window at the house. Belen has about 7,500 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.