GUILTY NM - Five Griego family members murdered in their Albuquerque home, 20 Jan 2013

[Elley Mae]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2903832.shtml

According to court documents, Nehemiah Griego told deputies the shootings happened because he had "anger issues" and "was annoyed with'' his mother.

Griego said he had been having homicidal and suicidal thoughts, and so around midnight on Friday, he got a .22 caliber rifle from his parents closet and shot his mother in the head, killing her.

His nine year old brother was sleeping next to her. His brother became upset when he woke up, so Griego shot him in the head, killing him.

He said his sisters were crying and he shot both of them in the head, killing them.

Griego said he then got an AR-15 rifle from his parent's closet and waited in a bathroom until his father arrived home at about 5 a.m. He then shot his father multiple times, killing him.

Officers said Griego told them he then reloaded the weapons so he could drive to a populated area to murder more people.

Griego said he wanted to shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging fire with law enforcement.

Instead, Griego put some of the guns in the family's van and drove it to Calvary, where his story of what happened to his family was questioned.

He also told police he took a picture of his dead mother and sent it to his girlfriend.

 

[CHERIE.T]

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2903832.shtml

According to court documents, Nehemiah Griego told deputies the shootings happened because he had "anger issues" and "was annoyed with'' his mother.

Griego said he had been having homicidal and suicidal thoughts, and so around midnight on Friday, he got a .22 caliber rifle from his parents closet and shot his mother in the head, killing her.

His nine year old brother was sleeping next to her. His brother became upset when he woke up, so Griego shot him in the head, killing him.

He said his sisters were crying and he shot both of them in the head, killing them.

Griego said he then got an AR-15 rifle from his parent's closet and waited in a bathroom until his father arrived home at about 5 a.m. He then shot his father multiple times, killing him.

Officers said Griego told them he then reloaded the weapons so he could drive to a populated area to murder more people.

Griego said he wanted to shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging fire with law enforcement.

Instead, Griego put some of the guns in the family's van and drove it to Calvary, where his story of what happened to his family was questioned.

He also told police he took a picture of his dead mother and sent it to his girlfriend.

b b m
Seems to be a lot of that going around.

 

[gitana1]

I wonder if the abuse charges are because the children were awake and saw him with the gun. Somehow the gun was a threat which might be considered abuse?

Perhaps they feel he terrorized the kids before he murdered them. I do.

I sometimes feel kids who kill have some hope. In this case, the cavalier statements as to why he did what he did coupled with the heinous manner in which he killed the babies ( terrorizing them first), I'm not feeling that at all for this one.

It's over for him.

 

[Snoopster]

Unfortunately I'm have terrible thoughts about what he may have done to those young kids. If he just went in a shot them they would have just charged him with murder. Perhaps he abused them in some other way.....

Perhaps as he had been abused.... (could have been by a family member or by one of their many troubled guests).

:notgood:

Just one theory.

 

[OneLove]

Unfortunately I'm have terrible thoughts about what he may have done to those young kids. If he just went in a shot them they would have just charged him with murder. Perhaps he abused them in some other way.....

Perhaps as he had been abused.... (could have been by a family member or by one of their many troubled guests).

:notgood:

Just one theory.

Sad to say, I've had these thoughts from the beginning with the child abuse charges. And I do fear abuse of this 15 year old at the hands of former prisoners. And I do think his wearing of only camo was a "hello, do you see me waving this troubled red flag in your face every single day?", his silent but visible cry for help.

And what the heck were these people doing leaving unsecured guns around with not only children, but released prisoners living on their property?

 

[Reannan]

Another tragedy, more discussion about guns, more questions than answers. This kid KNEW what he was doing when he did it, and he tried to lie about it afterwards. Is he sick? Obviously... but maybe not in anyway that can be helped. Some people are just simply evil! He was cruel enough to lift the bloody head of his Mother and show it to his younger brother before shooting him in the head. He was cruel enough to go down the hall to the room of his frightened 2 and 5 year old sisters, and shoot them in the head while they were crying. Can you imagine the final moments in the lives of his 9 year old brother, or 2 and 5 year old sisters? Can you imagine how horrifying it would be to kill your Mother as she slept, and then kill your frightened younger siblings while looking into their eyes? After all of this horror, NG spent HOURS in the home, waiting for his father to return.... and then he shot him without any confrontation because NG hid in a bathroom and waited for his father to walk past before shooting him. NG sat alone, in the dark, in a home filled with the dead bodies of people who loved him and trusted him. He had time to text a picture of his dead Mother to his girlfriend.... another act of cruelty in my opinion. That all adds up to an evil coward. I wonder if the reality of what he has done will ever filter into his mind or soul? Somehow, I don't think so... he had hours alone in that home to think about what he had done, and he chose to hide in a bathroom with a loaded gun waiting on his Father who was at work to provide shelter and food for him. Disgusting. I have no sympathy for him.

 

[OneLove]

Does anyone know what kind of business his dad was "away from home" for that would bring him home at 6:00 in the morning?

 

[Lois Lane]

Sources say Griego went to the South Valley Walmart after investigators say he killed his family. He sat in the parking lot for up to an hour with an AR-15 assault-type rifle and a .22 rifle with a scope, as he contemplated shooting people at the store.

Griego also told investigators, “he wanted to shoot people at random and eventually be killed while exchanging gunfire with law enforcement.”

Sources say he contemplated doing the same thing at Calvary of Albuquerque in the North Valley.

Neither happened.

Instead, Griego went to the church, where he told a pastor and security guard his family was dead.

The District Attorney says Griego will be tried as a serious youthful offender, which means he could be (sic) sentences as an adult if convicted of first degree murder.

Griego could make his first appearance in court on Tuesday.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/documents-show-griego-planned-more-extensive-attack

 

[Lois Lane]

A New Mexico teenager accused of fatally shooting his parents and three younger siblings had apparently never been in trouble with the law, state officials said Monday.

A records check by the Children, Youth and Families Department indicated no trouble with the teenager, NG, or his family, said Bob Tafoya, an agency spokesman.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/us/new-mexico-teenager-is-charged-with-killing-his-family.html

 

[Jules71]

Does anyone know what kind of business his dad was "away from home" for that would bring him home at 6:00 in the morning?

Good question. I thought one article said he had been let go from the church recently and unable to find work.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[jjenny]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/us/new-mexico-teenager-is-charged-with-killing-his-family.html

Never in trouble with the law?
Neither was Adam Lanza. I am not sure what difference does it make at this point. In a lot of this type of cases, there have been no prior trouble with the law.

 

[jjenny]

Does anyone know what kind of business his dad was "away from home" for that would bring him home at 6:00 in the morning?

We don't so far, but there are lots of legit jobs where one can be working an overnight shift.

 

[Lois Lane]

Griego held several jobs, but lost his position at Calvary church a few months ago and had struggled to find work, said a neighbor, who attends weekly Bible study at the home.

The lack of funds left the family living “paycheck to paycheck,” she said, and, “it’s been really rough on them.”

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/21/news/father-was-gang-member-turned-pastor.html

 

[jjenny]

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/21/news/father-was-gang-member-turned-pastor.html

He could have found something his friends didn't know about yet. For example, working a night shift at the gas station, etc.

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

....seems like the shooter was a blossoming schizophrenic......moo

 

[Lois Lane]

Authorities are looking into whether Pastor Greg Griego had a criminal past — as friends and colleagues have said — and, if so, whether he was prohibited from owning the assault-style rifle and other guns his son allegedly used to kill him and four other family members.

Greg Griego often told people he was an ex-con or had a felony in his past, possibly in California.

If that’s true, he would have been allowed to own guns if 10 years had passed since his sentence and probation had ended. Otherwise, state and federal law would have prohibited him from possessing or owning the guns used in the killings — an AR-15 assault-type rifle and a .22 caliber rifle.

He also helped found the “God Pod” at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he worked as a volunteer spiritual counselor for 13 years. The Christian-based unit at the massive lockup was a source of controversy until county officials shut it down last year after determining it violated the religious freedoms of other inmates.

Many who knew Griego, including friends and others in the Christian community, say he was able to connect with inmates, particularly those who struggled with addiction and violence, because he had been there himself.

Griego, who had a military past, also worked with returning veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq.

More at the link:

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/22/news/questions-raisedongunsslayings.html

Relevant NM statute regarding possession of weapons by felons:

http://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2011/chapter30/article7/section30-7-16/

 

[Lois Lane]

Sources say he contemplated shooting up the church as he sat in the parking lot for up to an hour. Instead [NG] went inside and came upon a youth pastor.

That man shook his hand and put his arm around [NG]. He also noticed [NG] was acting oddly. So he called Harrison.

Harrison drove the boy to the south valley. About a mile from the Griego house on Long Lane, Harrison called 911 to summon the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department.

More at the link:

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/on_assignment/security-officer-boy-was-great-kid

 

[Lois Lane]

Nehemiah Griego expected to be tried as adult

Under the state's children's code, adult charges can be sought for "serious youthful offenders," or offenders from the ages of 15-18 that are accused of 1st degree murder.

More at the link:

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2904311.shtml?cat=500

 

[Lois Lane]

KOB also learned Monday Griego had a night job, which is why he didn’t get home until 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Griego was working at the Westside homeless shelter as a supervisor and a minister. While a KOB crew was there, they met David Stafford who told us he also was a guest in Griego’s halfway house about a year ago.

More at the link:

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2904258.shtml?cat=500

"He found me when I was lost," Jaramillo said. "He set the foundation for my life."

He also taught him how to believe.

More at the link:

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2904162.shtml?cat=500

Both KOB articles provide some perspectives from people who interacted with Greg Griego in his ministry.

 

[Lois Lane]

From KOAT:

A makeshift memorial at the Griego Family home in the South Valley continues to grow.
Family friends are also talking about the murder suspect. Mary Puentes knew the family and said the teen kept to himself, but would throw rocks at her dog.

“He’s the one that seemed reserved you know, but I never thought that he would do something like this at all,” Puentes said.

More at the link:

http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico...18221160/-/5n5b6az/-/index.html#ixzz2IiWLQPVe

Vince Harrison is a member of Calvary Chapel and was the first person to talk to [NG] after police said he shot and killed five members of his family in their South Valley home.

Harrison said [NG] was a polite kid, and the kind of teen that would shake your hand and call you sir or ma’am. Harrison is the security coordinator at Calvary Chapel and a former Albuquerque police officer. He said something was clearly off on Saturday night.

More at the link:

http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico.../18221202/-/vwuxcf/-/index.html#ixzz2IiWecDHt

Family friends said Greg Griego, 51, was an ex-convict who found God. He served prison time for an undisclosed crime in California, but turned his life around.

To help inmates turn their lives around, Griego built a halfway house on his property. James Romero lived in that house. He said Griego turned around the lives of many.

“He told us that some of us that we could live over here, so I was one of them people,” Romero said. “He'd take anyone that came from jail, and if you were willing to help yourself, he would be willing to help you.”

More at the link:

http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico...18221172/-/aowkd3z/-/index.html#ixzz2IiWtU7ag