On January 19, 2013, a tragic and horrific incident occurred in South Valley, New Mexico, resulting in the deaths of five members of the Griego family. Among the victims was 5-year-old Jael Julia Griego, one of the three younger siblings of the family.
The perpetrator of this mass shooting and familicide was Nehemiah Griego, the 15-year-old eldest son of the family. Nehemiah Griego used two different firearms, including a. 22 rifle, to commit the murders.
The events unfolded late at night when Nehemiah first shot his mother, Sarah Griego, around midnight. His younger brother, Zephaniah, woke up after hearing the shot and was subsequently told by Nehemiah that he had shot their mother. Nehemiah then shot Zephaniah with the same rifle. He proceeded to the bedroom shared by his two younger sisters, Jael and Angelina, who were crying, and fatally shot each of them in the head.
Nehemiah Griego's actions were not only violent but also premeditated and calculated. After the shootings, he changed his account of the events and made a statement to police, revealing that he had been having suicidal and homicidal thoughts. He admitted to obtaining the guns from his parents' closet, where his father, Greg Griego, had stored them. Greg Griego, a former pastor at Calvary Church and a chaplain to the Albuquerque Fire Department, had taught both Nehemiah and his mother how to use these firearms.
Following the murders, Nehemiah Griego sent an email to his girlfriend with a photo of his dead mother. His intention was to drive away, murder more people, and ultimately die in a gun battle with police. However, he was arrested before he could carry out these further plans.
Nehemiah Griego was booked into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center and charged with two counts of murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death. Despite being a minor at the time of the crime, he agreed to speak to police without an adult or lawyer present. Initially, he pleaded not guilty due to insanity, but later, in October 2015, he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death.
The legal proceedings surrounding Nehemiah Griego's case were complex due to his age at the time of the crime. Under New Mexico law, minors charged with first-degree murder are to be tried as adults, but they cannot be sentenced to death or life without parole. The family court judge initially proposed to sentence him accordingly as a minor, but this was appealed by the prosecutor and later overturned by the appeals court in 2019. Consequently, Nehemiah Griego was sentenced as an adult.
The victims of this tragedy included Greg Griego, 51, and his wife Sarah Griego, 40, as well as their three younger children: Zephaniah, 9; Jael, 5; and Angelina, 2. The family was deeply involved in their community and church, and their loss was deeply felt by those who knew them.
