A 24-year-old New Mexico man has been accused of gunning down his mother, father, and 17-year-old sister over the weekend, admitting to police that he did so and was going to bury them in a ravine near the house.
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies reponded to a call from the family’s landlord, who lived next door, that he’d heard gunshots, KRQE reported.
Deputies found Adlai Mestre covered in blood with a gun and ammunition, a criminal complaint says. He admitted killing 46-year-old Raymundo Mestre, 51-year-old Bertha Mestre, and 17-year-old Breille Mestre.
Deputies found the family’s bodies facedown in the ravine, about 30 yards from the house. Mestre said that he killed them, dragged them outside, and then went back in to clean up.
Mestre also admitted to shooting the family dog. The dog was so badly injured that it had to be euthanized, the sheriff’s office said.
Mestre briefly escaped from an interview room at the sheriff’s office by punching a hole in the wall. Deputies chased him down the hall and took control of him.
Mestre has been charged with three counts of first degree murder, five counts of tampering with evidence, and single counts of extreme cruelty to animals, escape from custody, and criminal damage to property.
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said at a news conference that Mestre had previously been hospitalized at haven Behavioral Hospital of Albuquerque but did not have homicidal or suicidal ideations at that time.
Allen said the gun used in the killings was obtained legally by Bertha Mestre in Texas.
