Albuquerque, New Mexico Youth Kills 5 Family Members

Sunday, January 20th, two adults and three children were found deceased in their home, the youngest was a girl only 2 years old. All five had been shot to death. Nehemiah Griego of Albuquerque, New Mexico, age 15, was arrested on charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death. He told police he had been “annoyed” with his mother, and was having homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

He took a .22 caliber rifle out of a closet around midnight, and shot his mother while his younger brother lay next to her. He said his brother did not believe she was dead, so he showed him her bloody face, and then shot him as well.

After shooting his two younger sisters, he retrieved an AR-15 from his parents’ closet and waited in a bathroom for his father to come home. He shot him several times with the assault rifle.

He told arresting officers that his plan was to reload the weapons, drive to a heavily populated area, and kill as many people as possible before being killed himself in an exchange of gunfire with the authorities.

The father, Greg Griego, 51, was a pastor well known by law enforcement for his work as a voluntary chaplain.

There were no reported cases of trouble within the family, and Nehemiah had not been treated by a mental health agency.

There was no report as to how he was captured before he could carry out the rest of his plan. With an assault rifle in his possession, the death toll could have been much higher.

James Turnage

Columnist-The Guardian Express