New Mexico couple charged after woman stabbed to death with three-foot metal sword
Suspects had both been in previous relationship with victim Grace Jennings
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A New Mexico couple was arrested after allegedly stabbing to death his ex-girlfriend with a 3ft sword and attempting to decapitate her.
Kiara McCulley, 19, and her boyfriend Isaac Apodaca, 25, have been charged with murdering Grace Jennings, 21, in the garage they lived in together at his mother’s home in Santa Fe.
When police arrived at the building they reportedly found the body of the victim, which showed “several injuries consistent (with) being cut or stabbed with a sharp object” and injuries “consistent with attempts to decapitate.” A bloody sword was also found inside the garage, a criminal complaint states.
The pair are also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and Ms McCulley is charged with tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors say that Mr Apodaca’s mother told police that her son said he had “found his girlfriend killing another female in the garage.” Mr Apodaca then called 911 and told dispatchers that his girlfriend had killed someone with a sword.
Investigators say that the suspects and the victim had shared a bed together the night of the killing and the criminal complaint states that the suspects had both had a previous relationship with the victim.
Ms McCulley told police that she did not remember killing the victim because of her undiagnosed multiple personality disorder.
“McCulley stated she was partially hopeful Ms Jennings was dead but could not remember what happened to her,” the complaint stated. Mr Apodaca told police that Ms McCulley had planned to kill the victim for several years.
But according to The Santa Fe New Mexican police searched his phone and allegedly found messages in which the suspects discussed killing the victim.
“The messages... described how Mr Apodaca and (McCulley) would ‘clean up the mess’ by using hydrogen peroxide and an ice washer to get it out,” the complaint stated.
Ms McCulley told police that her boyfriend had told her that if she killed his ex-girlfriend she would rise in a secret organisation she belonged to called Ghost.
Neither suspect has yet entered a plea.