Report: NM teen had homicidal, suicidal thoughts

Report: NM teen had homicidal, suicidal thoughts

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico teenager accused of fatally shooting his parents and three younger siblings told authorities he was annoyed with his mother and had been having homicidal and suicidal thoughts, according to a probable cause statement.

Nehemiah Griego, 15, was arrested following the shootings Saturday at a home in a rural area southwest of Albuquerque where he lived with his family. He remained in custody on charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston plans to hold a news conference Tuesday morning, and the teen could make his first court appearance in the next day or two.

A sheriff’s detective questioned the teen Saturday night. The statement detailed their conversation.

The teen allegedly told the detective that he took a .22 caliber rifle from his parents’ closet around midnight Saturday and shot his mother in the head while his younger brother slept next to her.

Griego told the detective that his brother did not believe him that their mother was dead so he showed his mother’s bloody face to his brother and then shot him, according to the statement.

He’s accused of then shooting his two young sisters in their room. He retrieved an AR-15 rifle from his parents’ closet and waited in a downstairs bathroom for his father to come home. The statement said he shot his father multiple times after he passed the bathroom doorway.

The teen said he reloaded the guns so “he could drive to a populated area to murder more people,” according to the statement. His plan, the statement said, was to “shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging gunfire with law enforcement.”

Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Aaron Williamson said Monday he couldn’t immediately comment on the document.

Detectives have spent two days collecting evidence and trying to piece together what led to the violence.

The sheriff’s office identified the victims as Greg Griego, 51, his wife Sarah Griego, 40, and three of their children: a 9-year-old boy, Zephania Griego, and daughters Jael Griego, 5, and Angelina Griego, 2. All appeared to have gunshot wounds to the head.

Greg Griego was a pastor who had once served at Calvary, one of Albuquerque’s largest Christian churches. He was also well-known throughout the law enforcement community for his work as a voluntary chaplain.