New Mexico Man Accused of Killing 2 Victims Tells Police a Cockroach Told Him to Do It

A man in New Mexico has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after allegedly killing two people and later telling police that a cockroach ordered him to commit the crimes.

According to a Facebook post by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), deputies from the South Valley Command responded around 10:27 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, to reports of gunfire near the 1400 block of Entrada Bonita SW.

“When deputies arrived, they located two deceased adult males inside the residence with apparent gunshot wounds,” the BCSO said in the post. “Three additional adults and two young children were also found inside the home. The adults were detained for questioning, and the children were safely removed from the scene.”

Authorities confirmed one suspect was taken into custody and later identified as Alexis Hernandez, 25. Jail records show Hernandez was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 8, and faces two open counts of first-degree murder.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, officers were met at the door by Hernandez, who reportedly had a firearm on his waistband and a Marine Corps saber on his hip. He allegedly told officers he had served in the Marines and “had to do what he had to do.”

Hernandez then informed officers there were two bodies inside the property.

The affidavit states Hernandez believed the property owner had been stalking him by hiding cameras in the lights and that he had been hearing “creepy voices coming from the vents.” When officers searched the home, they discovered one man dead from possible gunshot wounds in the main residence and another man with stab wounds in an attached apartment.

Investigators said one of the victims was the property owner and that Hernandez knew both men. The affidavit further noted Hernandez claimed he had “been getting signs” to kill the property owner, including what he described as “an encrypted message in a cockroach,” because the victim “did not like cockroaches.” The alleged message, he said, instructed him to carry out the killings.

The suspect claimed he had purchased a Glock handgun for protection and said he feared for his life when the victims took him into a back room of the house. He allegedly shot the property owner in the head and the second man in the kitchen before returning to his vehicle to reload and firing again.

Hernandez told officers he did not plan to harm the two children who were in the house but admitted they witnessed the shootings.

According to the BCSO, homicide detectives have taken over the investigation and continue to collect evidence and interview witnesses. “Additional information, including the identities of those involved, will be released once next of kin notifications are complete and the investigation allows,” the department said

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has not yet released further details.