New Mexico

New Mexico teen accused of killing his parents, siblings with handgun

Published

1 year ago

December 16, 2024

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_.

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New Mexico

Natt’s 17 lead Sam Houston over New Mexico State in Conference USA Tournament 69-61

Published

2 hours ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

Natt’s 17 lead Sam Houston over New Mexico State in Conference USA Tournament 69-61

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Kashie Natt had 17 points and 16 rebounds in No. 2 seed Sam Houston’s 69-61 win against 10th-seeded New Mexico State on Wednesday night in the Conference USA Tournament.

Sam Houston (22-10) plays the winner between No. 3 seed Western Kentucky and sixth-seeded Kennesaw State in the semifinals Friday.

Jacobe Coleman scored 15 points, going 5 of 12 from the floor, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and 3 for 4 from the free-throw line for the Bearkats. Veljko Ilic shot 5 of 11 from the field and 3 of 9 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points, while adding six rebounds.

Jemel Jones led the Aggies (16-16) in scoring, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks. New Mexico State also got 10 points and seven rebounds from Jae’Coby Osborne. Elijah Elliott finished with eight points.

Sam Houston took the lead for good with 18:36 to go in the first half. The score was 37-26 at halftime, with Natt racking up nine points. Sam Houston was outscored by New Mexico State in the second half by three points, with Jacob Walker scoring a team-high 10 points after intermission.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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New Mexico

Route 66 stamps will make their debut later this year

Published

14 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Route 66 stamps will make their debut later this year

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Postal Service is commemorating the centennial anniversary of Route 66 with a set of eight stamps.

The stamps feature eight different photographs from each state that Route 66 runs through. For New Mexico, a photo shows a old Grants Cafe sign.

Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps and stamp pane using existing photographs by David J. Schwartz.

The stamps will make their debut at the National Postal Forum, also known as the NPF, at the Phoenix Convention Center on May 5. The event will be free and open to the public.

Route 66 was established on Nov. 11, 1926. It originally stretched about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Dubbed “The Mother Road” by author John Steinbeck, Route 66 became a national symbol of freedom and adventure.

News of the stamps is being shared online with the hashtag #Route66Stamps.