New Mexico
New Mexico teen accused of killing his parents, siblings with handgun
A New Mexico teenager has been charged with killing four members of his family, state police said on Sunday.
According to a press release from New Mexico State Police, the teen was identified as 16-year-old Diego Leyva. Police say Leyva called 911 at around 3:30 a.m. to report that he had killed his family in their home in Belen, New Mexico, a small town about 33 miles south of Albuquerque.
Once officers arrived at the house, the teen surrendered himself to deputies.
“Diego walked out of the residence with his hands in the air and was extremely intoxicated. He was taken into custody without incident,” police said in the statement.
Officers found four people dead inside the house and a handgun on the kitchen table. The deceased were identified as his father Leonardo Leyva, 42, his mother Adriana Bencomo, 35, and his brothers aged 16 and 14.
Police say Leyva now faces four counts of first-degree murder and has been booked into a Juvenile Justice Center in Albuquerque.
Tributes from local fire department come in
The Valencia County Fire Department said in a Facebook post that Adriana Bencomo, one of the four people found dead on Sunday, was a volunteer firefighter in the area.
“Our brothers and sisters at RCFD are shocked and saddened by this loss as expected. The Valencia County Fire Department and Belen Fire Department have brought in additional staffing to assist with calls in Rio Communities, and the VCFD peer support team has been activated to assist members with this loss,” the statement said.
USA TODAY could not immediately find a lawyer representing Leyva.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Details affecting local, regional and national news events of the day are provided by the Eyewitness News 4 Team, as well as updates on weather and traffic.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The weather is expected to be quiet Friday with mostly sunny skies and temperatures a little warmer than usual.
A backdoor cold front will bring low temperatures into the teens and 20s overnight Saturday.
Some slick and icy roads are expected from snow across the northern and west central high terrain from Sunday night into Monday morning.
Early next week, colder weather will bring high temperatures slightly below average in western and central New Mexico.
Once Thanksgiving wraps up, it’s all Christmas and the Northern New Mexico Toy Drive is all-in.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Christmas is coming and kids are dreaming of all the gifts on their wish list but some families need help to make that happen.
The Northern New Mexico Toy Drive is back for another year. Santa Fe firefighter Rollin’ Tylerr Jones and his family have made this a yearly tradition since 2010. Recently, they’ve stepped up their efforts.
“The Northern New Mexico Toy Drive has been a nonprofit since 2021,” Jones said. “In 2020, when COVID hit, the Santa Fe Fire Department had a hard time with resources and so they approached my real estate brokerage, Exit Realty Advantage New Mexico in Los Alamos, and asked if we would help out.
“So, in 2020, we started running it. Then in 2021, we became the official Northern New Mexico Toy Drive.”
The toy drive has grown since then. They’re aiming to help 10,000 kids – up from 200 in the first years – all across New Mexico, not just northern New Mexico.
“We’re helping groups in the Four Corners, the Navajo Nation, all the way down. We’re helping foster kids in Albuquerque, Mora, Las Vegas,” Jones said.
Jones’ family helps out with sorting toys, going through the Christmas lists and more. You can learn more about the New Mexico Toy Drive in the video above and on their website.
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