ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
Fifteen-year-old murder suspect Nehemiah Griego grew up in a family deeply rooted in the Christian faith.
His father, a gang member turned pastor, helped others turn their lives around. There were missions to Mexico, prayer sessions with former jail inmates and weekly Bible study gatherings. For Griego, there were jam sessions with the Calvary Albuquerque’s youth band and pickup basketball games at the church.
That all changed last Saturday when his parents and three younger siblings were slain at home and Griego was arrested and charged with the killings.
On Friday, family and friends will gather at the church to mourn the deaths — a tragedy that just doesn’t make sense to surviving family members or the church community that has watched him grow up.
Griego was just a normal teen to Vince Harrison, a former police officer who had known the family for about 10 years through his security work at the church.
“He did not fit the criteria of a kid who was crazy into guns and wanted to hurt people. That’s absolutely false,” Harrison said.
So how and why could something like this happen to a family like the Griegos?
The question is haunting family members and the church community as lawmakers across the country debate whether more gun control laws would keep another shooting from happening.
Public defender Jeff Buckels said Thursday that it’s too early for anyone to rush to judgment about the teen’s mental state, motives or plans. He said the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department has been parceling out limited bits of what he described as “the most damaging supposed ‘facts.”’
“This has led directly to a multitude of sensational headlines that threaten to finish Nehemiah’s case in the public mind before it has fairly begun,” Buckels said.
Sheriff Dan Houston described the case as “horrific” and said Thursday that he stood by the facts as presented in the investigation.
Detectives continue to pour over evidence gathered last weekend at the Griego home. They’re also reviewing text messages and calls between Griego and his 12-year-old girlfriend and security video from Calvary, where the teen apparently spent much of the day following the early morning shootings.
He is facing murder and child abuse charges in the deaths of his family. They were all found shot to death inside their rural home south of Albuquerque last Saturday.
After the killings, authorities allege that Griego reloaded his parents’ two semi-automatic rifles and put them in the family van and planned to gun down Wal-Mart shoppers. Houston has said investigators have no information that Griego actually went to a Wal-Mart that day.
The defense attorney promised he will consult with mental health experts and investigate the effects of violent video games. Authorities have said Griego liked to play “Modern Warfare” and “Grand Theft Auto.”
“It’s far too soon to know the meaning of this tragedy and far too soon to judge,” Buckels said.
Since news of the shootings first hit Calvary last Sunday, churchgoers have been praying for the teen and the victims Greg Griego, 51, his wife, Sarah Griego, 40, and three of their children — a 9-year-old boy, Zephania Griego, and daughters Jael Griego, 5, and Angelina Griego, 2.
Friday’s memorial service follows an hour-long prayer vigil that drew an estimated 2,000 people Wednesday night.
There were simply no signs, said Rick Zemke, a chaplain who knew the family and volunteered with Greg Griego at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
“They were always together. They just always seemed to click,” he said. “It’s hard to understand.”
National News
Family, church struggle to understand New Mexico slayings
- National News
-
-
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
Utah man shot in church upgraded to fair condition
It was a quiet part of the Father’s Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion.
-
Chrysler expected to formally refuse Jeep recall
In one of the biggest-ever showdowns between an automaker and the government, Chrysler on Tuesday is expected to file papers explaining its refusal to recall 2.7 million older Jeep SUVs that are at risk of catching fire in rear-end collisions.
-
House committee takes up tough immigration bill
A key committee in the Republican-led House moved Tuesday toward approving a tough enforcement-focused immigration bill, over objections from Democrats and disruptions from protesters shouting “Shame, shame, shame!”
-
Hitchhiking cat ’Mata Hairi’ headed home to Oregon
A well-traveled cat named “Mata Hairi” will soon be reunited with her owner after spending nearly 10 months traveling thousands of miles with a hitchhiker who rescued her from the rain.
-
For young immigrants, a delayed coming of age
As a child, Jorge Tume used to sit and do homework as his parents cleaned the desks and floors of a concrete company in Miami. When he was done, he’d take out the trash and help finish cleaning.
-
Court: Arizona citizenship proof law illegal
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states cannot on their own require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier.
-
Fracking fuels water fights in nation’s dry spots
The latest domestic energy boom is sweeping through some of the nation’s driest pockets, drawing millions of gallons of water to unlock oil and gas reserves from beneath the Earth’s surface.
-
Ten more homes destroyed in Colorado wildfire
Firefighters were finally gaining some ground Friday on a wildfire in which two people were killed as they tried to escape and 389 homes were destroyed.
-
House passes sweeping $638 billion defense bill
The House overwhelmingly passed a sweeping, $638 billion defense bill on Friday that imposes new punishments on members of the armed services found guilty of rape or sexual assault as outrage over the crisis in the military has galvanized Congress.
- More National News Headlines
-
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades
Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin
3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter
Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies
Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29
Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs
Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks
Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying
Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
