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Saturday, April 26, 2008

3 Found Dead In Bernalillo

By Rozanna M. Martinez
Journal Staff Writer
    BERNALILLO— A 6-year-old boy, his grandmother and her boyfriend were found dead Friday in the Bernalillo home where they had moved three months ago, according to police.
    Authorities say all three suffered gunshot wounds, and circumstances at the scene pointed toward murder-suicide, but police were still investigating. They said the community was not in danger, and they were not seeking suspects.
    Police had not released names of the victims late Friday, but word of the tragedy spread quickly.
    By late afternoon, more than 40 relatives and friends had gathered two homes down from the crime scene. Many sobbed and held one another as they relayed the news.
    One woman cried, "That was my mother and my nephew," before she was escorted into the home by police.
    The bodies of the 52-year-old man, 47-year-old woman and the boy were found by the woman's son, according to Rio Rancho police spokesman John Francis, who assisted Bernalillo police Friday.
    All three suffered gunshot wounds, according to Bernalillo police Lt. Chris Stoyell.
    The man and woman were boyfriend and girlfriend, according to Lt. Ramon Casaus of the State Police, which also assisted in processing the crime scene. The boy was the woman's grandson, he said.
    They moved into the home on Timber Road about three months ago from Santa Fe, according to Stoyell.
    A small-caliber handgun was found in the home in close proximity to the man.
    "There are some circumstances that could lean to it being a murder/suicide, but State Police have not confirmed that," Stoyell said.
    The woman's son, who also had been living at the home, had been out for the night and returned home shortly before 11 a.m. Friday "wondering why" his 6-year-old son was not at school, Stoyell said.
    The man, who was accompanied by a woman believed to be his girlfriend, found his mother, son and his mother's boyfriend dead inside the home, according to Stoyell.
    Police did not disclose the location of the gunshot wounds on the bodies or where the bodies were in the home.
    It could not be immediately determined how long the three had been dead.
    "It's hard to say," Stoyell said. "It could be anywhere from 10:30 p.m. last night (Thursday) until (the woman's son) found them this morning (Friday). I'm thinking they had been there awhile."
    Several neighbors along Timber Road said they didn't know the victims well but were surprised that such violence happened on a street they called peaceful.
    "This area is very nice, even at night," said Oscar Bargas, who said he had recently moved into the neighborhood. His home was just a few houses down from the tape that marked the crime scene.
    Armando Avila, who has lived in the neighborhood for about four years, said he rushed home early from his job in Santa Fe when he heard about the shooting.
    He said he was afraid it might have been his next-door neighbors— and was relieved when it wasn't.
    Avila said he didn't know the victims, but believed he had seen children playing near the house.
    "Kids don't deserve to die; they need to live," he said.
    He added that he was surprised such violence would happen in his neighborhood.
    "It's real quiet down here, real peaceful," he said. "I didn't expect something to happen like this."
    Journal staff writer Hailey Heinz contributed to this report.