[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
A 16-year-old will be spending his Christmas behind bars after brutally murdering his entire family.
Tragedy struck in Belén, New Mexico over the weekend when a drunken teen took a gun to his family, committing a quadruple murder. In a statement released by the New Mexico State Police, they revealed a 16-year-old, who has since been identified as Diego Leyva, called the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday at around 3:30 a.m. to tell his truth: he killed his mother, 35-year-old Adriana Bencomo, father, 42-year-old Leonardo Leyva, and two teen siblings, and he was “extremely intoxicated.” The NMSP wrote:
“When deputies arrived, Diego walked out of the residence with his hands in the air and was extremely intoxicated. He was taken into custody without incident. Deputies entered the residence to find Leonardo Leyva, 42, Adriana Bencomo, 35, Adrian Leyva, 17, and Alexander Leyva, 14, all deceased from suspected gunshot wounds. A handgun was located on the kitchen table.”
That is so, so incredibly awful.
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According to law enforcement officials, the teen was taken to a hospital nearby to detox before being booked into a juvenile detention center in Albuquerque on Sunday. In the wake of the senseless murders, Belén Consolidated Schools’ Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez issued the following statement:
“As a community, we must come together to support one another in this time of grief. This heartbreaking incident reminds us of the importance of vigilance in addressing the challenges our youth face, promoting mental health awareness, and ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for everyone. Additional counseling services will be made available for students at Belen Middle School and Belen High School. If your student can benefit from discussing this tragedy with a counselor, please ask them to let their teacher or principal know.”
You can read the statement in full (below):
Diego has been charged with four open counts of first-degree murder while investigators try to determine what led up to the tragic shooting. Our hearts are with the Leyva-Bencomo family. Rest in peace.
[Image via Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube]