New Mexico: 16-Year-Old Boy Arrested After Fatally Shooting Family Members, Called 911 To Confess

OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:10pm – Monday, December 16, 2024

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting his entire family while “extremely intoxicated,” according to authorities in New Mexico.

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Diego Leyva, 16, was charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly shot and killed his family early Sunday morning, then called 911 and turned himself in.

Officials said Leyva “told the dispatcher that he had killed his family.”

The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. Sunday in Belen, Valencia County, New Mexico.

Leyva walked outside with his hands up and was “extremely intoxicated” when officers arrived at the scene, New Mexico State Police said.

“Diego came out of the residence with his hands up and was highly intoxicated. He was taken into custody without incident,” police said in a statement.

Inside the residence, officers found the bodies of the four victims with firearms on the kitchen table. Those who died were two siblings aged 17 and 14, their mother Adriana Bencomo, 35, and their father Leonardo Leyva, 42.

Leyva was arrested at the Albuquerque Juvenile Justice Center and is currently charged with four counts of first-degree murder, police said.

The Valencia County Fire Department said in a Facebook post that Adriana Bencomo, one of the four people whose bodies were found Sunday, was a local volunteer firefighter.

“Our brothers and sisters at the RCFD are, as expected, shocked and saddened by this loss. Valencia County Fire Department and Belen Fire Department have committed additional personnel to assist with calls in the Rio community. “We have established the VCFD Peer Support Team to assist members affected by this loss,” the statement said.

Interviews and scene processing are being conducted by agents from the NMSP Bureau of Investigation and Crime Scene Team. It is unclear what the shooter's motive was.

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be referred to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution.