Sonia Lyla Tenorio, a 46-year-old female, was tragically killed on September 2, 2022, in a violent encounter at her Albuquerque, New Mexico, apartment. On that evening, she and her 31-year-old nephew, Daniel Humphrey, were fatally shot in what authorities have described as a targeted attack. The Albuquerque Police Department responded to alerts of gunfire at the apartment complex on 59th Street NW shortly after 9 p.m.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Daniel Humphrey outside with multiple gunshot wounds. Inside the apartment, they found Sonia, who had also been shot multiple times. Both sadly succumbed to their injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed to their upstairs neighbor, John Paul Ballejos. The relationship between Ballejos and the Humphrey family had been deteriorating, escalating significantly after an incident in July 2022 when Ballejos allegedly fired a gun through his floor, with the bullet entering the Humphreys' apartment. This event led to eviction proceedings being initiated against Ballejos. In the time leading up to the murders, it was also reported that Ballejos had been sending harassing text messages to Daniel Humphrey's sister, Cynthia.
Surveillance footage from the night of the murders was pivotal in identifying the assailant. The video captured a hooded individual, later identified as Ballejos, approaching the victims' apartment. After initially walking away when no one answered the door, the footage shows him returning as Daniel Humphrey approached the apartment. Ballejos then shot Daniel twice in the head before entering the residence and shooting Sonia Tenorio in the face and head.
The following day, on September 3, 2022, SWAT officers apprehended John Paul Ballejos at a home in the Barelas neighborhood. After a brief standoff, he was taken into custody and subsequently charged with two counts of murder and two counts of tampering with evidence. The investigation also connected Ballejos to another double homicide that had occurred in May 2022. In April 2024, John Paul Ballejos pleaded no contest to the murders of Sonia Tenorio and Daniel Humphrey and received two life sentences.
