TIJERAS, N.M. (TCN) — A 24-year-old man was arrested on multiple charges over the weekend for allegedly killing his parents, sister, and family dog, trying to clean up the scene, and kicking a hole in an interview room.
According to a criminal complaint, on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2:14 p.m., a man called the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office to report hearing gunshots from his neighbor’s property, and when he texted them to check in, no one responded. The neighbor reportedly attempted to communicate by honking his car horn but once again did not hear a reply.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they reportedly saw Adlai Mestre with a gun and loaded magazine on him. Deputies detained him, and he allegedly said, “I killed them and was going to bury them.” Law enforcement officials reportedly “observed blood transfer patterns consistent with drag marks and mopping/cleaning,” as well a bloody knife and meat tenderizer near the door.
The deputies searched a ravine nearby and located two deceased adults and one deceased juvenile, all of whom suffered apparent gunshot wounds. The criminal complaint says the victims had “significant injuries” and there was a possibility they had been stabbed in addition to being shot. Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen spoke at a press conference and identified the victims as Mestre’s father, 46-year-old Raymundo Mestre, his mother, 51-year-old Bertha Mestre, and sister, 17-year-old Brielle Mestre. Adlai Mestre also allegedly shot the family dog.
A detective spoke with Mestre at the sheriff’s station at around 5:30 p.m., and Mestre said he fatally shot his father in the living room and his mother as she walked down the stairs but “didn’t know about his younger sister.” After the shooting, he dragged their bodies outside to bury them and “tried to clean up by mopping before he was interrupted by initial responding deputies.”
The complaint says Mestre had blood on his shoes, shirt, and hands.
The detective arrested Mestre on three counts of open murder, four counts of tampering with evidence, and one count of extreme cruelty to animals.
At 7 p.m., Mestre reportedly started punching and kicking the wall in the interrogation room. He made a hole in the wall and ran out of the room. He was caught soon after that and detained. Due to the damage caused in the room, the detective also charged him with criminal damage to property $1,000 or more and escape from the custody of a peace officer.
Allen said in the press conference that the gun used in the shooting was bought legally. Mestre had recently been admitted to a behavioral health hospital in the area.
Allen spoke about red flag laws and said, “If you went to get a mental health evaluation, even if you didn’t have any homicidal or suicidal ideations, there needs to be some recognition in the system or notification to law enforcement that there are firearms in the house.”
He added, “Please pay attention to any family members have that behavioral health issues and you have firearms in the house. That is a red flag. We need to start paying attention and doing our part.”
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