Seven-year-old Abigayl Villegas-Hernandez, a Hispanic female, was found deceased in her Roswell, New Mexico home on June 11, 2016, a victim of a familicide that also claimed the lives of her mother and three sisters. The discovery was made after concerned family members contacted police when they were unable to reach the family.
Inside the home, law enforcement found the bodies of Abigayl; her mother, 34-year-old Cynthia Villegas; and her sisters, 14-year-old Yamilen, 10-year-old Cynthia Janet, and 3-year-old Idaleigh. Each of the victims had been shot in the head. The investigation quickly focused on the children's father and Cynthia's husband, Juan David Villegas-Hernandez.
Investigators determined that Cynthia Villegas had recently asked her husband for a divorce, which is believed to be the motive for the killings. After the murders, Villegas-Hernandez fled to Mexico. A witness reported seeing him behaving strangely and loading items into his truck on the afternoon of the slayings. He reportedly refused to let the witness inside the house and threatened to kill himself. A message was also found written on a door inside the residence in which the writer apologized and stated an intention to commit suicide.
Juan David Villegas-Hernandez was apprehended in Mexico several days after the discovery of his family's bodies and was subsequently extradited back to the United States to face charges. During his trial, he initially maintained his innocence. However, he later changed his plea to no-contest on five counts of first-degree murder. As a result, he was sentenced to five life terms in prison.
